The Kingpins Behind The Success of PSL Football Giants.
Behind South Africa’s biggest football clubs lie tales of ambition, crime, legacy, and tragedy.
From Zola Mahobe’s criminal empire at Sundowns, Irvin Khoza’s powerful rise at Orlando Pirates, to the heartbreaking death of Kaizer Chiefs’ Ewert Nene – these are the stories few dare to tell.
The Untold Truths Behind the Rise of South Africa’s Football Giants
South African football is more than just goals, trophies, and roaring crowds.
It’s also about the powerful and controversial figures who shaped the game behind the scenes.
As the Premier Soccer League (PSL) continues to dominate African football, the legacies of three key men — Zola Mahobe, Irvin Khoza, and Ewert Nene — continue to echo, each carrying stories of ambition, tragedy, and even crime.
Zola Mahobe: The Lavish Criminal Who Made Mamelodi Sundowns Shine
In the 1980s, Zola Mahobe turned Mamelodi Sundowns into a football powerhouse.
His flamboyant lifestyle, designer suits, flashy cars, and jet-setting aura made him a celebrity.
But behind the luxury lay a dark truth: Mahobe was funding Sundowns through massive financial fraud.
He stole millions through a scam involving Trust Bank, where he had inside connections that enabled him to manipulate bank funds.
His criminal enterprise allowed Sundowns to sign some of the most talented players of the era, paying salaries that rivaled even those of European clubs.
In 1989, his empire came crashing down. Mahobe was arrested, charged, and later convicted.
Sundowns nearly collapsed, and Mahobe’s once-feared name was dragged through scandal.
He died in 2014, but his legacy remains complicated—a visionary who brought glamour to the game, yet at a criminal cost.
Irvin Khoza: The Iron Duke of Orlando Pirates
Few names carry as much weight in South African football as Dr.Irvin Khoza, the long-serving chairman of Orlando Pirates and the man many credit for turning the PSL into a professional, global product.
But Khoza’s rise wasn’t without its controversies.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, media outlets often speculated about his alleged ties to underground networks, strong-arm leadership tactics, and his iron-fisted control over football operations.
Nicknamed “The Iron Duke”, Khoza survived numerous power struggles within the footballing world and is seen by some as both a brilliant strategist and an intimidating power broker.
His leadership brought:
The formation of the PSL in 1996
Massive sponsorship deals for South African football
Continental success for Pirates
Yet, whispers still circulate about “what Irvin Khoza had to do to get to the top.”
Despite all, he remains a giant in African football governance, serving as PSL Chairman and a respected figure at CAF and FIFA levels.
Ewert “The Lip” Nene: The Tragic Loss of a Chiefs Pioneer
Before Kaizer Chiefs became South Africa’s most supported football club, a quiet and charismatic figure helped build its foundations—Ewert Nene, affectionately known as “The Lip.”
Nene was instrumental in helping Kaizer Motaung launch Chiefs after the latter returned from playing in the United States.
As a founding father of the club, Nene played a critical role in scouting players, handling negotiations, and shaping the club’s winning identity.
But his story ends in heartbreaking fashion.
In 1976, while trying to sign a player from a rival township team in KwaZulu-Natal, Ewert Nene was stabbed to death.
The murder shocked the football community.
Many saw it as a tragic reminder of the dangerous politics and tribal tensions that football figures often had to navigate during apartheid-era South Africa.
His death remains one of the most tragic moments in Chiefs history—a life cut short in the name of football progress.
While players come and go, it’s often the kingpins behind the scenes who leave the deepest impact.
Whether through scandal, strength, or sacrifice, these men helped turn Mamelodi Sundowns, Orlando Pirates, and Kaizer Chiefs into the PSL titans we know today.
Their stories are complex, sometimes dark, and always unforgettable.
