Kaizer Motaung

Kaizer Motaung was born on 16 October 1944 in Orlando East, Soweto, a township South West of Johannesburg. Motaung began playing soccer at a young age and turned professional at the age of 16 when he joined Orlando Pirates. He entered the international scene when he was recruited by North American club Atlanta Chiefs.

After a few years abroad, Motaung returned to South Africa and immediately started proceedings to form his own team, to the disapproval of many in the football world. Amidst stern opposition, Motaung managed to get the club off the ground and soon gained a large following.  He named the club Kaizer Chiefs, after himself and his former team Atlanta Chiefs. Kaizer Chiefs is now one of the biggest teams in the country.

Motaung also co-founded the Premier Soccer League (PSL) with Irvin Khoza. In 2004 he was voted 73^rd in “the top 100 Great South Africans”, and was awarded the Entrepreneurial Leadership Award by Henly Managenment College, South Africa in the same year. He is currently a member of the South African Football Association’s (SAFA) executive committee and is also a non-executive director of Primedia Limited, the company that owns 40% of Kaizer Chiefs.

Motaung is married to Valeta and they had five children. His first son, Thabo, died in 2012. He was the only one who was not involved in the family business. One of his sons, Kaizer Motaung Junior, followed in his footsteps and currently plays for the team. His other children are involved in the team’s management.