Cape Town City FC’s teen sensation Emile Witbooi has grown in popularity and ability, with coach Lebogang Manyama explaining how the club is shaping his game to help him land at some of the world’s top teams, like PSG, in the future.
The Kimberley-born youngster has quickly gone from promising academy talent to a highly influential teenager in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, where CT City are closing in on third place.
The son of former professional winger Surprise Ralani, Witbooi joined the club’s structures from the School of Excellence in early 2024. His rise to the senior team was rapid, and in March 2025, he made history as the youngest player to represent the club at just 16.
He became Cape Town City’s youngest-ever goalscorer later that year, while also attracting major attention off the pitch through a partnership with RocNation Sports and a sponsorship deal with Nike.
EMILE WITBOOI’S STEADY DEVELOPMENT AT CAPE TOWN CITY FC
Even with the spotlight growing, the club has remained focused on Witbooi’s long-term development.
On the international stage, Witbooi has already played a key role in South Africa’s youth structures. He helped secure the 2024 COSAFA Under-20 title and featured prominently as the Under-17 side reached the knockout stages of the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.
With expectations rising, assistant coach Lebogang Manyama has opened up on how the club is guiding Witbooi’s development, both on and off the pitch.
LEBOGANG MANYAMA ON MANAGING A SPECIAL TALENT
“Emile is the most public out there, but I can mention Darkier Lee, I can mention Gabriel Amato, Cayden Fortune, the list goes on. These kids have done so well for themselves and the club,” Manyama said on the Marawa on 947 Podcast.
“We also try to make sure he plays within the team’s components… he also has a responsibility. As 17 as he is, or 18 now in June, I think it is very good that he is at that level at that age. But he also understands where he wants to go and what the other players are doing.
“I mean, he has been brilliant. When I met Emile at that age, possibly the best player in the U-15s and U-17s, you tend to stand on the side, get the ball, do the magic, dribble past five, six players.
“My conversation with him was—with all due respect to the opponents—I told him he is coming up against guys with three kids. This salary they are playing for against you is everything, so if you are just going to wait on the side for the ball, these okes will kill you.
“He is still a kid, but it was key to teach him that he still has a job to do: go forward, but he has to come back and defend with the team. We think he might possibly reach the highest level at this rate, given how good he is.
“Now we have to teach him some other things, so that when he gets there, he understands that—God willing—he is at a PSG, where they press at high speed and attack at high speed. We try to teach him now. But in terms of natural ability, we can’t coach him on that… he is too good [laughs].”
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