Chiefs seek CUFA Cup glory as birthday gift to Motaung

MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

KAIZER Motaung turns 80 years old on Wednesday and – though it will not officially end their trophy drought - Kaizer Chiefs winning today’s CUFA Cup (formerly Macufe Cup) would be an early birthday present that the club’s chairman would surely appreciate.

Amakhosi are playing against Marumo Gallants at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein this afternoon in a competition they have won on eight previous occasions. And having beaten Gallants in the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season opener, they should be favourites to be victorious.

Chiefs are without a proper trophy for nine seasons now but there is hope that in Tunisian Nasreddinne Nabi they’ve found themselves a coach who can bring back the glory years for the Glamour Boys. With two wins from three league matches, Amakhosi have given an indication that they will be much more competitive than they were last season when they finished out of the top 10.

The old man, who formed the club back in 1970 after breaking away from an Orlando Pirates’ for whom he’d starred, is synonymous with success and the club’s poor form in recent seasons has made a mockery of that.

Many have actually blamed him for the club’s fall from grace saying he has taken too much of a backseat and allowed his children too much leeway at the club. Yet as they looked ahead to their father’s milestone birthday, Bra K’s children said nothing could be further from the truth.

“He’s still very, very active in the business and he’s taken on a lot more when he should be taking a backseat with certain things. But in certain instances I think he’s allowed things to move ahead and progress and allowed us to really run with certain things .It’s so wonderful to have him in the business and have the wisdom that he provides,” said daughter Jessica Motaung who heads Chiefs’ thriving Marketing Department.

Her little brother Kaizer junior, the club’s sporting director, corroborated the fact that Motaung senior still runs the show out in Naturena: “The chairman is still in the office with us, in the morning he’s here and almost all of the time, the last to leave, still. He is guiding us in every step, not just members of the family but he is still the yardstick of all of the departments across the organisation.”

That Chiefs have not been producing the goods in recent years is something that must pain the old man, but his children says their father remains focused and continues to provide leadership for the club in the knowledge and belief that Amakhosi will turn the tide.

There have been glimpses of that possibility materialising in this campaign although many felt that Chiefs beating both Gallants and AmaZulu was not cause for celebration. They argue that the defeat by Mamelodi Sundowns was proof the club still has a long way to go before they can be seen as potential challengers for honours.

At Naturena though the belief is that things can only get better and victory in the CUFA Cup this afternoon will provide evidence of that. And it will, of course, be a nice early 80th birthday gift to chairman Kaizer Motaung.