Kaizer Chiefs’ new signing and hot prospect Luke Baartman is excited after he finally donned Amakhosi’s jersey in an official match.
Baartman’s appearance for Chiefs came after a protracted contractual dispute between Amakhosi and his former club, Cape Town Spurs.
The matter reached Safa for mediation, and the association’s arbitrator, Hilton Epstein SC, ruled against Spurs’ appeal.
His award was in favour of Baartman, declaring him a free agent.
Happy to be back playing again
Chiefs signed the player after Spurs were relegated from the National First Division to the ABC Motsepe League.
So, after making his debut for Chiefs as a second-half substitute in the Betway Premiership clash against TS Galaxy last Sunday, the 19-year-old expressed joy for getting some game time.
Ironically, Baartman scored his first Premier Soccer League (PSL) goal against Chiefs in November 2023 in his maiden season in the PSL.
He scored two goals in the league in seven appearances for Spurs in that season.
“It felt wonderful to be back on the field, and it was a proud moment for me to wear the Chiefs jersey,” he said.
“After training hard for the past few months, it was rewarding to finally play for this great institution.”
Eager for more game time
Reflecting on his performance after coming on for George Matlou in the 80th minute of the pulsating match against Galaxy, Baartman admitted it was “okay” considering his lack of recent competitive action.
“Though it wasn’t easy, since I haven’t played for a while, I feel I contributed to the attack as we tried to unlock Galaxy’s defence,” said Baartman, who represented South Africa at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Chile recently.
Nicknamed “Boere’’, Baartman is eager for more game time in the new year and has vowed to continue working hard during the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) break. The continental tournament will get underway in Morocco at the weekend.
“I wish our supporters a wonderful festive season and a Merry Christmas. We look forward to seeing them in numbers again after the break as we resume our league and Confederations Cup campaigns,” he said.
Chiefs will kick off 2026 with a fixture against Lamontville Golden Arrows on January 20 at the FNB Stadium, before travelling to Zambia to face Zesco United in the CAF Confederations Cup a few days later.
