Grant Kekana names Khama Billiat as toughest opponent of his career

Mamelodi Sundowns and Bafana Bafana defender Grant Kekana has revealed that former Kaizer Chiefs and Chloorkop attacker Khama Billiat was the most difficult opponent he faced during his professional career.

The 33-year-old centre-back, who was raised in Mamelodi, has built an impressive career that includes four league titles with Mamelodi Sundowns and the PSL Defender of the Season award for the 2023/24 campaign.

Kekana has also established himself as an important member of the South Africa national team. He has won more than 15 caps and started five matches during Bafana Bafana’s run to a historic bronze medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

His history of facing Billiat stretches back to the Zimbabwean forward’s influential spells with Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs. During that period, Kekana was playing for the University of Pretoria and SuperSport United and was regularly tasked with dealing with the attacker’s pace, movement and technical ability.

At SuperSport United, head coach Kaitano Tembo specifically used Kekana at right-back in an attempt to restrict Billiat’s influence and prevent the dangerous forward from finding space.

Although both players have strong links with Chloorkop, they never played together at club level. Billiat left Mamelodi Sundowns for Kaizer Chiefs in June 2018, while Kekana joined the Brazilians in July 2021.

Speaking exclusively to KICK OFF Magazine, Kekana explained why Billiat stood out as the opponent who caused him the greatest problems.

“It was Khama Billiat. Everyone will tell you about Khama Billiat. His first touch, his awareness,” Kekana said.

“You know us defenders: we don’t like to get dragged into weird positions, running facing our goal, and Khama had it all. He could finish as well. He could dribble.

“He was a combination of everything. When you’re facing Khama, you knew you had to drink at least five litres of water because you’re going to lose a lot of water!I think that was my toughest opponent.

Billiat is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished foreign players in South African football history. Across 362 appearances in all competitions during the PSL era, he recorded 95 goals and 96 assists.

The former PSL Footballer of the Season won several league titles during his decade in South Africa and also lifted the CAF Champions League.

He has since returned to Zimbabwe to continue his career. Billiat now plays for Scottland FC, newcomers to the Zimbabwean top flight, after a highly successful and award-winning spell with Yadah FC, where he revived his goalscoring form.

Kekana’s assessment reflects the challenge Billiat posed to defenders throughout his time in South Africa: an attacker capable of receiving the ball cleanly, recognising danger early, dribbling past opponents and finishing chances. For the Mamelodi Sundowns defender, those qualities made the Zimbabwean forward the toughest individual test of his career.