Lerumo Lions beat Kaizer Chiefs to signing of teenage midfielder Lwazi Zondi

Lerumo Lions have signed 18-year-old midfielder Lwazi “Ngwana watshwenya” Zondi, a player who had attracted interest from Kaizer Chiefs and spent time training with the club’s DDC side.

The Motsepe Foundation Championship team are understood to have secured Zondi’s signature, beating the Soweto giants to the highly rated youngster.

A source close to the player confirmed the move to Soccer Laduma, saying Zondi had joined Lerumo Lions. The midfielder turns 19 in November and is identified as a 2007-born player.

The source also revealed that Zondi comes from Howick, specifically the Legiton area. It is the same part of the country associated with former Kaizer Chiefs and Bafana Bafana striker Mabhuti Khenyeza.

“You can write that Lwazi Zondi has signed for Lerumo Lions. You can call Tshepo (Maphari) and confirm with him. That’s the story that you have right now. His name is Lwazi ‘Ngwana watshwenya’ Zondi (2007). He is 18 years old, turning 19 in November. From Howick at Legiton, from Mabhuti Khenyeza’s area,” the source told Soccer Laduma.

The move gives Lerumo Lions a player who had previously been on the radar of one of the biggest clubs in the Premier Soccer League. Zondi’s period training with Kaizer Chiefs’ DDC team had placed him in the club’s development structure before Lerumo Lions completed the deal.

Despite the claim from the source, the signing had not been formally announced by Lerumo Lions at the time of publication.

Soccer Laduma contacted Lerumo Lions coach Tshepo Maphari for confirmation, but he had not responded when the report was published. As a result, the club had yet to officially confirm that the teenager had joined.

Zondi’s arrival is therefore currently based on the information provided by the source close to the player, with confirmation from Lerumo Lions still outstanding.