Inside Motaung's journey at Chiefs: Service over power

FEW FIGURES in South African football have been as visible, as debated and as misunderstood as Bobby Motaung.

- MATSHELANE MAMABOLO

KAIZER Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung rejects narratives that frame the future of Amakhosi leadership as a power struggle. | AFP

(AFP)

For over three decades, his presence at Kaizer Chiefs has symbolised authority to some, nepotism to others, and continuity to those who understand the inner workings of the club. ‘Bobsteak’ has been praised, vilified, caricatured and scrutinised - often without context.

Yet when the son of Amakhosi boss Kaizer Motaung speaks of his role, the language he uses is not that of power, but of service.

“We are custodians,” he says. “We are serving.”

That he does not say ‘I’ but rather ‘we’ goes smack against the general notion he is a spoilt son of the boss who sees the club as a “family business” in which his word holds sway.

That distinction of his role matters, especially at a club as emotionally owned as Kaizer Chiefs. With millions of supporters invested in every decision, leadership is never neutral. It is either validated by trophies or rejected by results.

Bobby learnt this early.

As team manager, he became the public face of recruitment —a role that exposed him to relentless criticism. Chiefs sign a player? Bobby signed him. Chiefs struggle? Bobby failed.