Kaizer Jr, Thlopie, Andile ... now meet Sandiso, 24, a Chippa off the old block

There is a new sheriff in the Chippa United boardroom and he wants to take the club’s brand to another level.

The 24-year-old Sandiso Mpengesi, the son of club owner Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi, has been cutting his teeth in football management since he was appointed general manager at the beginning of the year.

Mpengesi said the past few months have been eye-opening, working closely with his father but he wants to be his own man as he continues his mission to improve the running of the club.

“I have always been there but behind the scenes,” Sandiso said during an event on Wednesday where his Siviwe unveiled 16 new players and handed over a house to a family in Deberha, Engcobo in the Eastern Cape with premier Oscar Mabuyane as part of Mandela Day.

“The challenges my father has faced at the club are the same challenges I have faced but behind the scenes. The difference now is that my face has been unveiled and people know who I am.”

Sandiso follows a trend among PSL club owners grooming their sons in senior roles.

At Mamelodi Sundowns Tlhopie Motsepe is chairman while owner Patrice has become Confederation of African Football president. At Kaizer Chiefs chair Kaizer Motaung has appointed Kaizer Motaung Jr as sporting director. 

Sandiso said the past few months at the helm at Chippa have been about learning and supporting his father in the mission to turn the fortunes of the club around.

“I think a lot of people are starting to say there is this new kid on the block who is starting to make his name, but honestly I can’t say it has been amazing or not.

“I am just here to support my father in this particular project and not necessarily here to make a name for myself, but one day I want to sit back say I was part of the club’s transformation.

“He [Siviwe] believes I am now at the age of maturity to be his right-hand man with the other executive directors at the club. It has been a growing stage. I am not there to change but to improve the culture.

“I am out there to grow with him and not necessarily to make my own spotlight or saying I want to be the next Chippa Mpengesi. I want to grow and the past few months have been about a growing and learning.

“One thing you must also understand is every club has its own culture. It will be unfair to compare me with the Motaungs because that’s a cultural family. That [Kaizer Chiefs] brand has been built within its culture and I don’t think they will ever try to bring any outsider to grow that particular culture.

“The Sundowns family is a different culture, we have the Free State Stars family [the Mokoenas] who have a different culture and there are a lot of other families in football with their different cultures.

“It is one thing to say I can take my son and put him in there but is he interested, does he want to change the culture or to grow with the culture? If you look at the fella at Sundowns [Thlopie Motsepe], you could see that that is the duplicate of his father.

“You can see with the Motaungs, that is the duplicate of the family and I can even talk about the Mpisane’s with their culture and their lifestyle, and they are trying to maintain that.”

At Durban team Royal AM owner Shauwn Mkhize’s son, Andile Mpisane, is the chair.