Kaizer Chiefs youngster Luke Baartman has impressed new head coach Fernando da Cruz during the early stages of the season. | Backpagepix
There is a unique kind of pressure that comes with donning the famous gold and black jersey of Kaizer Chiefs. It is a weight that has crushed many promising young talents before they could ever truly spread their wings. But if the early exchanges of the 2026/27 Betway Premiership season are anything to go by, 20-year-old Luke Baartman is showing that he has broad shoulders.
Following a scintillating Player of the Match performance against Kruger United over the weekend, Baartman took it one step further by announcing his arrival on the biggest stage in South African football with his first Betway Premiership goal for Amakhosi in the 2-0 win over Sekhukhune United on Wednesday night. But just who is this young talent, and where does he hail from?
A graduate of the Cape Town Spurs Academy, Baartman burst onto the scene in October 2023, making his senior professional debut for Cape Town Spurs at a tender 17-years old against Orlando Pirates.
It did not take long for his natural finishing ability and intelligent off-the-ball movement to turn heads when he scored his first Premiership goal — ironically against Kaizer Chiefs in November 2023.
