Simon Lehoko (1951 – 17 April 2025) was a South African

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played as a defender for

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) is a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premiership. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Kings" or "Chiefs" in Zu ...

and

Vaal Professionals Vaal Professionals were a South African soccer club. Based in Vereeniging, they were a founder member of the Premier Soccer League in 1996. They were nicknamed ''Setla'' or ''Vaal Monsters''. They were relegated from the 1998–99 Premiership. ...

Early life and education

As a teenager growing up in Sedibeng Lehoko played for his father Shadrack Lehoko's team Real X20 which was based in

Sharpeville Sharpeville (also spelled Sharpville) is a township situated between two large industrial cities, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging, in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Sharpeville is one of the oldest of six townships in the Vaal Triangle. It was ...

. By the age of 16 he established himself as one of the best defenders in the Vaal. He was regularly selected in the Sharpeville Invitational XI which played against

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often referred to as Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto, Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two Soweto clubs ...

Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates Football Club, referred to as simply Pirates, is a South African professional football club based in Orlando, Soweto that plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as Betway Premiership. The team plays i ...

and

on numerous occasions. His brother, Joseph Lehoko nicknamed him "Bull" for his defensive style, which stuck with him. Lehoko attended Lekoa Shandu and enrolled at the Wilberforce Training College to get a teacher's diploma. At the training college he met former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder Ariel Kgongoane. After qualifying to be a teacher he moved from

to Meadowlands Zone 5 and taught in Dobsonville.

Career

Lehoko represented

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in 1977 versus

Rhodesia Rhodesia ( , ; ), officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state, unrecognised state in Southern Africa that existed from 1965 to 1979. Rhodesia served as the ''de facto'' Succession of states, successor state to the ...

. After his performances at

Lehoko signed for Kaizer Chiefs in 1978. He was captained by Ryder Mofokeng until his retirement in 1985. He was part of the team that won the quadruple in 1981. He retired at the age of 34 after a nagging knee injury.

Later life and death

Lehoko coached his former club to

1994 Bob Save Superbowl The 1994 Bob Save Superbowl was the 1994 season of the South African club football (soccer) knockout tournament, then known as the Bob Save Superbowl for sponsorship reasons. It was won by Vaal Professionals, coached by Simon Lehoko, with the ...

victory. He ran the Simon Bull Lehoko Foundation with his son, Mojekisane Lehoko. Lehoko died on 17 April 2025, at the age of 74.

References

1951 births 2025 deaths Sportspeople from Vereeniging Soccer players from Gauteng Men's association football defenders South African men's soccer players South Africa men's international soccer players Kaizer Chiefs F.C. players 20th-century South African sportsmen Vaal Professionals F.C. players {{SouthAfrica-footy-defender-stub