Kaizer Motaung answers questions in a press conference FILE - Kaizer Motaung could benefit from getting some outside help as he look to turn Kaizer Chiefs fortunes around. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix
Before he gets inducted into the South African Hall of Fame next month, Kaizer Motaung will do well to do some face-saving act to help his beloved Kaizer Chiefs take a serious step towards regaining their former glory.
And for me, that would be for the highly-respected football administrator to come out and speak frankly about his feelings and views about the depths Amakhosi have plumbed lately as well as how he plans to effect a turn around.
Despite his cool, calm and collected demeanour, those who have worked closely with Bra K have often opened up about how fiery he would get when it comes to his club’s image.
From a distance, it would appear that the man they nicknamed Chincha Guluva for his ability to turn his opponents inside and out on the pitch during his playing days, has mellowed with age.
How else would he have allowed the club renowned as South Africa’s cup kings to go nine years without winning a knockout trophy?
Chiefs have just parted ways with Molefi Ntseki as their coach following a poor run of form that has seen them missing out on the opening two trophies of the season and replaced him with Cavin Johnson in the interim.
It talks to a state of desperateness at Taung Village that they have looked to the man they’d brought in to lead their development academy for help.
To me it also suggests Bra K – at 79 years of age – is really in the twilight of his illustrious career as an administrator, the man who was once a master at importing unknown coaches to the country and creating magic with the Phefeni Glamour Boys before the rest of the league swooped on them when their time at Chiefs was over.
Granted, I was among those who was delighted that Motaung began to give local coaches a chance as most of us had been on his case about his seeming lack of faith in South Africans. But, at what cost to him and his club?
None of the local coaches he has hired – Steve Komphela, Gavin Hunt, Arthur Zwane and now Ntseki – have delivered any success.
The reality, however, is that the coaches are not solely to blame for Chiefs’ failures, although they have all seemed to find the job too big. Motaung’s challenge is that in allowing his children – Bobby and Kaizer jnr – to run the technical side of things, he has literally given the steering wheel to unlicensed drivers who are fast steering the car into a ditch.
Of course, it is a family business, but the sooner he admits that his boys are not as technically smart as he is and sourced the technical expertise from the outside the better for Motaung.
Bra K, you have worked very, very hard over the years to build Chiefs into the incredible football institution that it is.
You owe it to yourself and the millions of Chiefs fans who love your club so much – some more than they do their families – to ensure that it is resurrected to its former glory.
Make that a thank you gift to yourself, or at least to the many in this country who believe that you are worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame.
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