For a while, they completely forgot about their problems. Kaizer Chiefs management sang kumbaya at FNB Stadium on the occasion where club legends and former players celebrated the induction of supremo Kaizer Motaung into the South African Hall of Fame.
Different generations of players across the years since the club’s formation in January 1970 were in attendance to shower praise on the trailblazing Motaung, who built the side into an institution that is one of the most followed teams on the continent.
Motaung arrived to a guard of honour that included some of the early club superstars like Joseph "Banks" Setlhodi, Zacharia "Computer" Lamola, Jackie "Asinamali" Masike, Lucky Stylianou, Nelson "Teenage" Dladla and Zebulon "Sputla" Nhlapo. Some other notable legends in attendance were Albert "Mqombothi" Bwalya, William “Cool Cat” Shongwe, Absalom "Scara" Thindwa, Abel "Chacklas" Shongwe, Tsepo Molatedi, Rudolph Seale and Ntsie Maphike.
Among more recent former stars were Pollen "Trompies" Ndlanya, Robson Muchichwa, Frank Makua, Brian Baloyi and Cyril Nzama, Arthur Zwane, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Tsepo Masilela and Jabu Mahlangu. It was a momentous occasion to celebrate with the man, known in his playing days as "Chincha Guluva" (Dribbling Wizard), who has left an indelible mark on football in this country, by building the club that for may years was synonymous with success.
Many speakers, that included Motaung’s sons, Kaizer Motaung Jr and Bobby Motaung, shared stories of how their lives were uniquely and positively impacted by Motaung over the years. The common factor that stood out was his humility and respect for other people, something most successful people are not associated with.
They spoke about his relentless pursuit of excellence, something that is not surprising when you look at the humongous way in which the Amakhosi brand has grown and the success they have achieved. As they heaped praise on Motaung, the harsh reality could not be escaped that the club is now a shadow of its former self, with the hard facts confirming they have not won a major trophy since 2015.
Eight barren years for a team that previously only went a year without silverware. Motaung stands as a towering figure in South African sports, but Chiefs have been reduced to a laughing stock for rival fans as the new trophy machines, Patrice Motsepe’s mega-wealthy Mamelodi Sundowns, rule the roost.
Over the years, Motaung has passed on most of the responsibilities of running the club to children Bobby, Kaizer Jnr Jessica Motaung and Kemiso Motaung — grooming them for leadership for the day he is gone — but the buck still stops with him.
A quick glance at the DStv Premiership standings this season shows they have blown hot and cold as Chiefs sit in 10th spot with 14 points from 12 matches. They have four wins, two draws and six losses to show for their troubles and are 10 points behind leaders Sundowns, who have won all their eight matches, despite continental commitments that have included reaching yet another Caf Champions League group stage and this month winning the Confederation of African Football’s inaugural African Football League.
Amakhosi’s realistic opportunity of winning silverware this season is left to the Nedbank Cup. And cup competitions, by nature, are something of a lottery.
Chiefs have already made a coaching change in 2023-24. Cavin Johnson, as caretaker, has replaced Molefi Ntseki, whose appointment brought dismay from supporters hoping for a bigger figure to engineer a turnaround. The beleaguered Ntseki drew a new phenomenon of anger from the stands in the form of dangerous missile-throwing, quicker and more regularly than any coach before him.
Amid the celebrations, Motaung Sr and Bobby Motaung were honest and made passionate pleas to supporters to exercise patience as they aim to revive Chiefs’ fortunes.
“What our fans need is a little bit of patience,” Motaung said, adding, though, that he understands the supporters’ frustration.
“I understand what they go through in terms of being too emotional about the team not being able to achieve results. Patience should be put forward, and they must understand things will not be the same. They can only get better from now on.”
It is not going to easy to take the club to the heights of the golden age of the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, where supremely talented superstars like Setlhodi, Lamola, Masike, Stylianou, Dladla, Thindwa, Seale, Maphike, Fani Madida, Doctor Khumalo and Shane McGregor would win trophies for fun.
The general consensus is that the current generation of players are not at the same level as even the trophy-winning teams of the 2000s. On Thursday afternoon, the legends took a trip down memory lane and they were in dreamland as memories of how good they once were, came flooding back.
Chiefs will come back to reality — probably back down to reality — this week when they travel to Moroka Swallows at Dobsonville Stadium on Sunday in the Premiership in their mission to revive their campaign.
At least, they briefly forgot about their problems last week.
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