Lazola Maku is a South African midfielder whose rise through Ubuntu Football and the national youth teams has brought him to Mamelodi Sundowns. On 20 October 2026, Sundowns announced his signing, according to GOAL’s report reproducing the club’s welcome statement. The move follows a period as a free agent and a growing record with Amajita, South Africa’s Under-20 side.
At 19, Maku already has a continental youth title and a place in CAF’s tournament Best XI behind him. His story also includes education, family responsibility and the challenge of turning youth-team achievement into a sustained club career.
Who is Lazola Maku? Lazola Maku is a South African midfielder born on 10 April 2007. An Ubuntu-developed player and Amajita captain, he helped South Africa win the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations and earned tournament Best XI recognition. His Mamelodi Sundowns signing was announced in October 2026.
The Sundowns move opens a new chapter
GOAL’s signing report identifies Maku as a free-agent arrival following his departure from Siwelele FC. It reproduces Sundowns’ announcement welcoming him to the club, moving the story beyond the earlier reports of negotiations.
The opportunity comes at a formative point. Maku has earned recognition through age-group football, while the next stage concerns his development within a new club environment. A signing announcement establishes the move; selection, playing time and the role he earns must follow on the pitch.
For Maku, the immediate task is to build on his midfield experience and leadership without treating his youth honours as a guarantee of senior success. His career remains at an early stage, even as the achievements behind the move are substantial.
His age, height and Cape Town background
Maku was born on 10 April 2007, making him 19 years old on 20 October 2026. FIFA’s 2025 Under-20 World Cup squad list records that birth date, lists him as a midfielder and gives his height as 169 centimetres. The height is a tournament-record measurement rather than a new medical assessment.
In a June 2025 interview, he described a background connecting Cape Town with Qumbu in the Eastern Cape. Those places form part of the personal story behind a football career that has taken him through academy, reserve and international youth competition.
BIOGRAPHY
Lazola Maku Biography: Age, Amajita Career and Sundowns Move
Oct 20, 2026
Oct 20, 2026
7 min read
Published
Updated:
Lazola Maku is a South African midfielder whose rise through Ubuntu Football and the national youth teams has brought him to Mamelodi Sundowns. On 20 October 2026, Sundowns announced his signing, according to GOAL’s report reproducing the club’s welcome statement. The move follows a period as a free agent and a growing record with Amajita, South Africa’s Under-20 side.
At 19, Maku already has a continental youth title and a place in CAF’s tournament Best XI behind him. His story also includes education, family responsibility and the challenge of turning youth-team achievement into a sustained club career.
Who is Lazola Maku? Lazola Maku is a South African midfielder born on 10 April 2007. An Ubuntu-developed player and Amajita captain, he helped South Africa win the 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations and earned tournament Best XI recognition. His Mamelodi Sundowns signing was announced in October 2026.
The Sundowns move opens a new chapter
GOAL’s signing report identifies Maku as a free-agent arrival following his departure from Siwelele FC. It reproduces Sundowns’ announcement welcoming him to the club, moving the story beyond the earlier reports of negotiations.
The opportunity comes at a formative point. Maku has earned recognition through age-group football, while the next stage concerns his development within a new club environment. A signing announcement establishes the move; selection, playing time and the role he earns must follow on the pitch.
For Maku, the immediate task is to build on his midfield experience and leadership without treating his youth honours as a guarantee of senior success. His career remains at an early stage, even as the achievements behind the move are substantial.
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His age, height and Cape Town background
Maku was born on 10 April 2007, making him 19 years old on 20 October 2026. FIFA’s 2025 Under-20 World Cup squad list records that birth date, lists him as a midfielder and gives his height as 169 centimetres. The height is a tournament-record measurement rather than a new medical assessment.
In a June 2025 interview, he described a background connecting Cape Town with Qumbu in the Eastern Cape. Those places form part of the personal story behind a football career that has taken him through academy, reserve and international youth competition.
Ubuntu gave him an early senior opportunity
Maku developed at Ubuntu before joining SuperSport United’s structures. His former coach Moritz Kossmann recalled giving him an ABC Motsepe League debut at 14 in an interview with iDiski Times.
That distinction is useful: his first senior opportunity in the lower divisions came before his later progress toward top-flight football. Academy development, reserve-team appearances and a Premiership debut are different milestones.
Kossmann’s account also places Maku within a group of Ubuntu-developed players who later represented South Africa. It shows a development pathway built over several years, rather than a player appearing suddenly because of one tournament or transfer.
Continental recognition with Amajita
The 2025 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations provided a decisive platform. South Africa won its first title in the competition, and Maku was included in CAF’s official tournament Best XI, announced on 19 May 2025.
His selection was individual recognition within a team achievement. It should be distinguished from the tournament’s Best Player award, which CAF gave to Tylon Smith.
The distinction helps explain Maku’s reputation without exaggerating it. He was recognized among the competition’s leading performers, while the continental title belonged to the whole South African team under Raymond Mdaka.
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Austria, captaincy and professional habits
By September 2026, Maku had spent time on trial with SV Ried, Wacker Innsbruck and Rapid Vienna. In a direct interview carried by SABC Sport, he described the experience as an education in professional expectations and adapting to another football environment.
“Being a professional at an early age is really important,” he said.
He returned to lead Amajita’s COSAFA campaign, having previously worn the armband on occasions during the 2025 AFCON. A trial is an assessment opportunity, however, and should not be described as a completed European transfer.
The same interview recorded comparisons with N’Golo Kanté, linked to his stature and playing style. Such comparisons describe how others saw him; they do not make the two players’ records or abilities equivalent.
Family support and education
Maku has spoken directly about the people who raised him. In his Sunday World interview, he said: “I was raised by my mother and grandmother.” He explained that their support motivated him and spoke about wanting to help his younger brother.
His account places family responsibility alongside football ambition. It is his own description of his upbringing, rather than a reason to speculate about relatives’ private lives.
Education was part of that development too. Noordwyk Secondary School’s tribute, associated with the May 2025 final, identifies him as a Grade 12 learner and celebrates his perseverance in the classroom. That is a dated school record; it does not establish a later graduation result.
Lazola Maku’s career timeline
Year | Event | Significance |
2007 | Born on 10 April | Birth date recorded by FIFA |
Before 2025 | Developed at Ubuntu and progressed to SuperSport’s structures | Built his foundation in club football |
2025 | Won U-20 AFCON with South Africa; selected in CAF’s Best XI | Earned continental recognition |
2025 | Listed in South Africa’s U-20 World Cup squad | Continued on the international youth stage |
2026 | Undertook Austrian trials and led Amajita | Added overseas experience and captaincy |
2026 | Sundowns signing announced in October | Began a new club chapter |
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Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Lazola Maku?
He is 19 as of 20 October 2026, based on FIFA’s recorded birth date of 10 April 2007.
What position does Lazola Maku play?
He is a midfielder. His documented career includes a role in the centre of South Africa’s youth national team.
Has Lazola Maku joined Mamelodi Sundowns?
GOAL reported Sundowns’ signing announcement on 20 October 2026 and reproduced the club’s welcome statement.
Which academy developed Lazola Maku?
He developed at Ubuntu before progressing to SuperSport United’s structures.
Did Lazola Maku win an AFCON award?
He made CAF’s 2025 U-20 tournament Best XI. The separate Best Player award went to Tylon Smith.
How tall is Lazola Maku?
FIFA’s 2025 Under-20 World Cup squad list records his height as 169 centimetres.
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