From Soweto to Great Hall: Football's doctor of dreams

Wits University recognises Kaizer Motaung's achievements with an honorary doctorate

- Marlan Padayachee

In a week when academia and football crossed paths in a celebration of legacy, Kaizer Motaung - founder of Kaizer Chiefs Football Club - strode into the annals of South African history. At the age of 80, "The Chairman" received an honorary doctorate in commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand, a rare moment when the beautiful game met the halls of scholarship.

This wasn't just a ceremonial hattip to a beloved football icon. It was a recognition of a man who built an empire from the streets of Orlando East, reimagined the game for black South Africans during apartheid and created one of the most revered clubs on the continent.

Motaung's journey reads like a script written in defiance of odds - with football as both a cultural force and economic engine.

When Kaizer Motaung launched his eponymous club in 1970, he wasn't just founding a team, he was making a statement. Inspired by a stint with Atlanta Chiefs in the United States, where he shared the pitch with legends such as Brazil's Pele, Motaung returned home with a dream to build a professional football outfit with international flair and local pride.

He had worn the black-and-white of Orlando Pirates. But now he envisioned something new gold and black jerseys with a Native American chief's silhouette. Kaizer Chiefs was born in Soweto amid doubt, scorn and admiration.

"We had no resources, no fanbase and no guarantees," Motaung recalled at the Wits graduation ceremony. "But we had vision, we had grit."

That grit would turn Chiefs into a powerhouse not only in local football, but in African sport and pop culture. Today, the club boasts more than 14 million supporters. For generations of young South Africans, it was more than a team, it became an identity.