Kaizer Chiefs announced the signing of 27-year-old centre-back Thabo Moloisane on Thursday. The defender joins the Glamour Boys as a free agent after three seasons with Stellenbosch FC and has featured twice for Bafana Bafana under coach Hugo Broos, though he fell out of favour late last year ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Chiefs unveiled Fernando da Cruz as their new head coach on Wednesday. Moloisane is the first confirmed addition to the squad since that announcement, although da Cruz is not set to begin the role until July 1 after his contract as technical director of the Moroccan Football Federation concludes.
Moloisane came through the Mamelodi Sundowns youth ranks but left due to limited first-team opportunities, a decision he discussed with ESPN. According to ESPN, he said he had to move to Cape Town All Stars because Sundowns had many options at centre-back, and that “my love for football [had become] non-existent” before his move as a youngster who felt he deserved more opportunities.
Cape Town All Stars provided his professional breakthrough in 2020. After spells with All Stars and Maritzburg United, Moloisane established himself at Stellenbosch, where he helped the club reach the 2024-25 CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals. He now returns to Gauteng to join Chiefs.
Kaizer Chiefs finished third in the Premiership last season and will represent South Africa in the CAF Confederation Cup. The club has not won the Premiership since 2014-15, when Stuart Baxter led them to the title. The signing of a player who had been linked with current champions and Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates will be viewed as a major statement of intent.
