With Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Sekhukhune United and Golden Arrows in the semi-finals of the MTN Top 8, the die is cast for a thrilling duel of the prestigious tournament. The upset of the weekend was the early departure of Kaizer Chiefs, courtesy of Golden Arrows. This outcome must have broken a lot of hearts in Mzansi. Despite consistent poor performance over the years, Amakhosi still commands the largest fan base in South Africa that hoped that the renewed Amakhosi would crush its enemies on its way to the final of the 2016 MTN Top 8. That expectation was reasonable considering the strong finish in the last season and the fact that it is top of the log of the current season after just one game.
The demise of Amazulu FC at the hands of Limpopo giants Sekhukhune United in a seven-goal thriller in Durban on Sunday was an inauspicious and disappointing defeat for the KZN club owned by business mogul Sandile Zungu, who is currently challenging for the position of el supremo of South African football by taking on the ageing and controversial veteran of South African football, Danny Jordaan, for the presidency of the South African Football Association. This matter will be settled next month when SAFA holds its elective conference.
The one-goal victory of Golden Arrows over Chiefs means that, of the nine provinces in South Africa, only three are still represented in the tournament that signals the beginning of the new football season in the country. With five teams in the Premier Soccer League, KwaZulu-Natal has earned the title of the football capital of South Africa and surpasses the more populous Gauteng Province by two. The rest of the provinces have one or two clubs, except the Northern Cape, which has historically struggled to produce a team to compete in the league. I think it’s time to appeal to the Northern Cape Premier, who is armed with a PhD in Law, to make the promotion of a team to the PSL priority No. 1 so this least-populated province can also participate in professional football.
Now, which of the remaining teams will make it to the final of the Top 8 of the MTN tournament? With Babina Noko going to battle with the PSL champions, and the CAF champions facing the lowly rated Abafana Besithende in the semis, the ground is set for a titanic battle between the South African league champions and the continental club champions for a humdinger of a final, a mouth-watering prospect for the tournament sponsors MTN.
Will the Buccaneers reclaim the Top 8 trophy for the fourth time, or will the African Champions, Sundowns, assert their dominance as South Africa’s most successful club? Only time will tell. However, with the loss of Relebogile Mofokeng to Europe, Ezimnyama Ngenkane will be less lethal than a season ago, while Kabo Yellow will be sharpened by the return of marksman Cassius Mailula, who scored the winning goal against Polokwane City on Saturday.
Let the games begin! And may the best team win.
Sello Lediga is a writer and historian. His latest book, Ndizani Bafana Bafana – The Comeback Story of a Nation, is available online at sellolediga.co.za.
