Johnson has previously managed South African clubs Platinum Stars (twice), SuperSport United, AmaZulu and Black Leopards in the Premier Soccer League.
In his first season as head coach he led Stars to a 2nd-place finish in the PSL and subsequently joined SuperSport United to replace the outgoing Gavin Hunt.
After being sacked by SuperSport he returned to Platinum Stars in March 2015,[2] guiding the club to third place in the league in the 2015–16 season.
[3] On 8 August 2017, he was appointed as the head coach of newly-promoted AmaZulu in the Premier Soccer League - succeeding Joey Antipas.
[6] On 27 January 2020, after being in charge of Leopards for only 5 matches, Johnson was suspended from his duties as head coach - this due to a string of poor performances (four losses and one draw).