Kaizer Motaung Jr is fast approaching two years since taking over the role of Sporting Director at Kaizer Chiefs. In light of this, we take a look at how he has performed in his position.
When change was needed at Amakhosi, Motaung Jr heeded in 2021.
He had been preparing himself for the role, both in the club's corridors where he served in an unofficial capacity, and in the classroom where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm) degree.
But what changes has Motaung Jr brought to Chiefs:
Appointment of Zwane and his technical team
At the start of the season, Kaizer Chiefs took a leap of faith and appointed a novice in Arthur Zwane as the club's head coach, assisted by Dillon Sheppard. He was later joined by Molefi Ntseki and Aubrey Mathibe. While things have not quite gone according to script under Zwane, indications are that 10111 has the backing of the club's management, who have recently highlighted the transformation taking place under his guidance.
Opening the Chiefs Chequebook
Over the last few years, the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns have been spending big transfer fees, while Chiefs have dabbled in the free agent market. However, at the start of this campaign, as a sign of faith, Chiefs opened up their chequebook and roped in a number of big-name signings to provide Zwane with the necessary tools needed to succeed at Chiefs.
Tied down a number of youngsters
With the appointment of Zwane, who has a rich history of working with young players, a lot of the club's development players have been filtered through to the club's first team. With their competitors closely monitoring the players, Chiefs tied down the likes of Nkosingiphile Ngcobo (until 2024), Sabelo Radebe (2026), Bruce Bvuma (2024),Reeve Frosler (2025),Happy Mashiane (2025), Thabo Mokoena (2024) and Keletso Sifama (2024). Perhaps the biggest loss was Njabulo Blom, who was sold to MLS outfit St. Louis City.
Youth development is flourishing
The Chiefs youth development is perhaps the area that has seen the most improvement since Motaung Jr was appointed. In July, Chiefs Reserves were crowned Champions of the 2022 DStv Diski Shield, the Gauteng leg of the U18 Knockout Challenge, 2022 Engen Champ of Champs and the Under-17s lifted the 2022 GDL Youth Championship. Chiefs' youth development has firmly established itself as one of the best in the country.
Addressing Chiefs' Fitness
Last week, Motaung highlighted Chiefs' fitness, or lack thereof, as an area of concern for the club. "[We appointed] a different high performance team which was addressing a big factor we had before, where our high performance and our fitness and level of intensity wasn't where we wanted it to be, and those are key factors that comes linking into your game model," he told Newzroom Afrika. To address the issue, Chiefs roped in former University of Pretoria conditioning coach and sports science guru Muzi Maluleke who has been working to improve Chiefs' fitness.
Closer Relationship with the Supporters
At the start of the season, indications were that Motaung Jr was trying to build a better rapport with the club's fan base. As a result, he featured in Twitter spaces, was vocal about players linked to the club, and was visibly present on social media. However, with the club's form deteriorating, so too has Motaung Jr's interaction with the fans. Chiefs currently sit in sixth position on the DStv Premiership standings.
