At What Age Did Bobby Motaung Become Kaizer Chiefs Manager and Who Is His Wife?

Kaizer Motaung became Kaizer Chiefs’ Manager in 2001 when he was 31 years old

The legacy of the Motaung family cannot be erased as far as football is concerned. Through its patriarch, Kaizer Motaung, the family gave South Africa one of the best clubs, Kaizer Chiefs. Motaung’s legacy is now being sustained by his son, Bobby Motaung, who is currently 53 years old and the manager of Kaizer Chiefs.

Although his life seems to revolve around his place in the football club, Bobby is a married man who also has kids and a grandchild. He strives to balance his family life and work life, as he has been involved in running the club for a very long time.

Bobby Motaung Has Been At The Helms of Kaizer Chiefs For A Long Time

Bob is the second of the four children of Kaizer Motaung, but he is currently the eldest of the kids since the death of the first child of the family, Thabo Ceyland Motaung, in 2012. Before his death, Thabo was not involved in the family business, which paved the way for Bobby to become the club’s manager.

The actual year that he took the front seat in the club as a manager has not been revealed, but it is known that he has been there for more than two decades now. The earliest record we could find of Bobby being described as the club’s manager was as far back as 2001, although it is possible that he was the club’s manager even before then.

If he became the manager of Kaizer Chiefs in 2001, that means he was 31 years old when he became the club’s manager. It could also be that he took charge even before he was 30, but there is no available record of supporting that. His job as the manager of Kaizer Chiefs entails seeing to the day-to-day running of the club. He is also in charge of signings and hiring coaches.

Despite all his achievements, he has been heavily criticized for selecting coaches and players brought to the club. It is believed that his choices have seen the club going into a fifth season without any major trophy.

Bobby Motaung Was Suspended From The Club in August 2020

Club Update: Bobby Motaung suspended

As part of our policies and continuous process of monitoring the public conduct of our members, players, and staff, Kaizer Chiefs has decided to summarily suspend Football Manager Bobby Motaung. https://t.co/ofs6o76C1x#Amakhosi4Life pic.twitter.com/LVwFahuvZR

— Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) August 4, 2020

Bobsteak, as the Chiefs manager is fondly called, is one individual who has never been scared of controversies. His most latest antics was a private party that he attended during the Coronavirus pandemic, breaking the lockdown rule that was in place at the time. Videos from the event made it to the internet, drawing backlash from the public. There were also calls for disciplinary measures to be taken against him.

An internal investigative panel was set to look into his conduct, after which they resolved that he be suspended with an immediate effect. His suspension was announced on August 4, 2020. After this, he was banned from accompanying the team to any training sessions or matches. In a statement on the club’s website, the action was in line with its rules and regulations and the protocols it has put in place.

The suspension ended on August 31, 2020. This was confirmed by the club’s spokesperson Vina Maphosa who stated that the manager’s suspension ended on its stated date. There were calls for harsher punishment for Bobby, but that was all that remained. Interestingly, he did not break his silence all through the drama.

There Were Past Attempts To Oust Him From The Club

Bobby’s long stay as the club manager has not been without some resistance in the past. In 2011, the club went into turmoil when the team’s former captain, Jimmy Tau, lost his place to Itumeleng Khune, who was believed to be favored by the manager. Aggrieved supporters of the club insisted that the manager be sacked from his position. At the heat of it all, Bobby made it clear that he was there to stay as he was not appointed by a board or elected by any political party.

According to him, Kaizers was a family business, and so those trying to have him ousted might as well do off with the idea because he was here to stay. He later apologized for the comment, clarifying that what he meant was that Kaizer belonged to the larger family of the football club and not just his immediate family.

There have been other less successful attempts that came after that to oust him but all failed. There was also a move by some who had a petition started on Change.org, where they hoped to get 500 signatures calling for his removal, but that did not get the needed signature. Even if it did, there was no assurance that it could change anything.

Bobby Motaung Is Not The Only Member Of The Family Involved In Running The Team

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A post shared by Kaizer Motaung (@kaizermotaungjr)

Bobby is the most known and vocal member of the Mouting family running the club, but he is not the only one in the business. Except for Thabo Ceyland, all his other siblings have been involved in running the football club in various capacities.

AmaKhosi was founded in 1970 by Kaizer Motaung. He started his career as a football player and went on to play for Orlando Pirates, Atlanta Chiefs, and Denver Dynamos. After returning home from the United States, where he went to play for the Atlanta team, Kaizer found his team. Since its existence, the club has won many trophies, including 4 league titles and 15 MTN 8 titles.

Although Kaizer has remained in charge of the team for a long time, he has also brought his children into the business. While Bobby, who is the oldest living child of the football legend, is the club’s manager, Jessica Motaung, the next oldest, is the Chief Marketing Director of the football club. She is currently 50 years old and is married to Ken Simmons with two kids.

Kaizer Jr is the fourth child of Kaizer Motaung. Now 42 years old, he is also involved in the club as its football manager. A former football star himself, the younger Motaung is saddled with signing players for the team. According to reports, he is the one that is being groomed to take over from Kaizer when the time comes.

The youngest member of the family, Kemiso Motaung, has been Miss Kaizer Chiefs in the past. Not left out in the running of the club, she is the head of digital media.

His Wife, Eshler, Maintains A Very Private Life

Bobby has been very private about all that concerns his family, and because of that, too many people know that the 53 years old manager is since married. He tied the knot to a woman known as Eshler, who is also as private as her husband regarding their personal life.

Details regarding what she does for a living all remain unknown. More so, nothing has been revealed as regards how Eshler and Bobby met. That said, they got married in June 2000, in a private and yet elaborate event. The event attracted big names in the country’s football community, and the logistics and catering staff were all said to have dressed in the kits of Kaizer Chiefs.

The ceremony was followed by a very long party, although pictures of the event were never made public. From all indications, she continues to support her husband from the homefront, making no attempts at getting involved in his official life.

Bobby And Elsher Have Three Kids And One Known Grandchild

The couple is blessed with three kids; Nthabiseng Motaung, Moagi, and Lehlohonolo. Just as the parents have kept their personal dealings away from the public, so also have the children. However, we know that in 2016, Nthabiseng Motaung got married to the son of Orlando Pirates owner, Mpumi Khoza.

The marriage, which was initially supposed to be a private affair, attracted the public’s attention because of the row that followed after claiming they tied the knot in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church, even though they were not members of the church.

Nthabiseng Motaung and her husband were said to have been dating since 2011 and had children together, which means that Bobby Motaung is not just a father but also a grandfather.