Lebohang Maboe targeting more goals and assists after late Kaizer Chiefs start

Lebohang Maboe says he is determined to improve further at Kaizer Chiefs after overcoming a delayed start to his first season with the club.

The midfielder joined The Glamour Boys as a free agent before the 2025/26 campaign, following the expiry of his contract at Mamelodi Sundowns. However, fitness problems disrupted the beginning of his time at Amakhosi and he missed around a third of the season.

Maboe made his Chiefs debut in the club’s 11th league match, appearing as a substitute in a 4-1 defeat of Orbit College at the beginning of November 2025.

The 31-year-old has started the current term in better form and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw against Richards Bay. Speaking to journalists at Chiefs’ open media day, Maboe said he wanted to build on the progress he had made.

“I still want to improve, I still want more. I’m looking forward to building on the performances that I had last season and the good start I’ve had this season. You know I can only get better from here, I always demand more from myself,” Maboe said at the Chiefs village.

The former Sundowns player also set out clear personal targets for the season, including improving his contribution in front of goal and becoming more effective in attacking areas.

“I believe that there is always room for improvement, so going into this season, I am definitely looking to improve my stats, with more goals, more assists, more box entries, so I am looking forward to the season,” he said.

Chiefs have drawn two of their opening four matches, sharing the points with Mamelodi Sundowns and Richards Bay. In both games, they conceded at least one goal after errors involving goalkeeper Brandon Petersen, costing them valuable points.

Maboe believes the team must take greater responsibility for those defensive lapses as they look to maintain a strong start.

“I think also the goals we concede, we need to be a bit more harder on ourselves and demand more from ourselves,” he said, reflecting on the goals that had prevented Chiefs from taking maximum points.

The Bafana Bafana midfielder is now preparing for Chiefs’ Betway Premiership meeting with Siwelele on Sunday evening at Dobsonville Stadium.

Siwelele have yet to win a match this season, but Maboe expects a difficult contest. Chiefs were beaten by the same opponents in the second round of last season, a result that has ensured his side will not underestimate them.

“It’s a game that we want to win but also knowing that Siwelele has not won any game this season, so it’s going to be a very tricky game. I think they beat us last season in the second round, so we know what we will be up against. It’s our home game, so we have to put smiles on our fans’ faces,” Maboe concluded.