Kaizer Chiefs Ladies target promotion as Qhekeka embraces the pressure

Kaizer Chiefs Ladies striker Lumka Qhekeka says the team are determined to maintain the high standards expected of the club as they pursue promotion to the Hollywoodbets Super League.

The Glamour Girls are currently leading the Gauteng Sasol Women’s Provincial League and remain unbeaten after 10 matches, having won nine of those games. The campaign is their first in the provincial competition since Kaizer Chiefs officially entered the professional women’s game in March this year.

Qhekeka was speaking during a ‘Beyond the Badge’ online media roundtable hosted by Kaizer Chiefs in partnership with German club Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday. The discussion, held as part of Women’s Month celebrations, focused on the development and growth of women’s football. KickOff attended the event.

The 20-year-old forward explained that the launch of the Kaizer Chiefs women’s team attracted significant attention, creating immediate expectations for the players representing Amakhosazana.

“The pressure put on us is to constantly maintain the standard, because Kaizer Chiefs is one of the biggest clubs in South Africa. So what we’ve been told is that since it’s our first season, already we came with pressure,” Qhekeka said.

The striker, who finished as the leading scorer in the 2026 Engen Knockout Challenge, said the creation of the team was regarded as a major development in South African women’s football.

“When they announced it, it was quite a big thing. I don’t think any woman’s team has done that within SA in terms of that (the launch). It’s a matter of keeping the badge there.”

Qhekeka also said the squad had developed a strong understanding since the team was formed, despite the demands that come with playing for one of the country’s biggest football clubs.

“So you just have to know how to go about it and constantly motivate yourself as an individual, that ‘What am I giving the team, how have I performed?’ The constant assurance on your end. But in terms gelling as players and as a team it’s proper, it’s top,” the former Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies forward added.

Kaizer Chiefs Ladies are coached by Unathi Mabena, whose side have made an impressive start to the season. Their unbeaten run has placed them at the top of the Sasol League standings and strengthened their hopes of reaching the Hollywoodbets Super League.

However, Qhekeka insisted the players were refusing to assume that promotion was already secured. Instead, they were concentrating on maintaining their form and dealing with each fixture as it comes.

“On our end, we don’t want to count our eggs before they hatch, so I’d say we’re taking it one game at a time. But the way we’ve been performing it is quite possible, nothing is impossible.

“But we’re taking it one game at a time and we will see at the end of the season what’s in store for us,” she said.

For Qhekeka and her team-mates, the challenge is to combine the ambition created by their strong league position with the responsibility of representing the Kaizer Chiefs badge during the club’s first season in the women’s professional game.