SuperSport United, defeated Jomo Cosmos on Saturday in the Gauteng Development League (GDL). By scoring two goals and conceding none, Matsatsantsa aPitori returned to the top of the u19 GDL standings.
Having dropped points a week prior, giving way to coach Skhosiphi Mgobozi‘s Randburg AFC at the top of the log, coach Tumelo Ndaba’s SuperSport United returned to winning ways.
In recent weeks, the “smaller” teams gained ground on the big clubs and were racing them neck-and-neck for the top spots, but SuperSport United’s victory over Jomo Cosmos reestablished order in the division.
Highlands Park, having uncharacteristically dropped points in recent outings, also got back on track with a 2-0 win over East Rand Athletic Club.
Similarly, coach Surprise Moriri’s Mamelodi Sundowns outplayed School of Excellence winning 5-0 away from home, a week after drawing against the league’s newbies, Rockefvs FC.
While the smaller teams who had been on good runs mostly found themselves on the wrong end of results, coach Thokozani Mnguni and his Rockefvs FC team maintained their strong form, beating Joburg City 2-1 in their own backyard.
Leading up to the fixture, though his side had enjoyed a lot of success this season, Joburg City head coach Thato Mosala expressed concernsabout the club’s form at home and his players’ complacency when facing the other smaller teams.
Mosala was proven right as Joburg City slipped to yet another home loss, which also saw them slide to sixth place in the standings. With the win, Rockefvs is just one place shy of the top 10.
In other results, Remember Elite Sport Academy (RESA) lost 2-3 to league newcomers Elspark United, Kaizer Chiefs beat TS Galaxy 3-0, Kathorus Hyper Academy downed Wits Junior 3-0, and Panorama FC pulled off the weekend’s biggest upset, handing Randburg AFC a 1-0 loss.
RESULTS
Joburg City 1-2 Rockefvs Seven’s Academy 4-3 Tuks SuperSport United 2-0 Jomo Cosmos Elspark United 2-3 RESA Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 TS Galaxy Highlands Park 2-0 East Rand Athletic Club Wits Junior 0-3 Kathorus Hyper Academy Panorama FC 1-0 Randburg AFC School of Excellence 0-5 Mamelodi Sundowns
Twelve matches into the season, the Gauteng Development League(GDL) has seen a shift as “smaller” teams have become contenders and some of those teams are leading the way on the u19 log.
Who would have thought that Randburg AFC would be sitting at the top of the log, or that Remember Elite Sport Academy, Joburg City, Jomo Cosmos, Panorama, and Wits Junior would all be in the top 11 of the standings?
After all, those are the teams that have flirted with relegation in seasons gone by.
This season, however, the tide appears to have turned as regular title challenges, among them Highlands Park, SuperSport United, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns – all teams that are expected to dominate – have uncharacteristically lost crucial games and struggled to be consistent.
In an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, Joburg City coach, Thato Mosala, weighed in on the unfamiliar look to the league standings.
The head coach pointed to SuperSport Schools’ investment and involvement in the league as a major reason behind the improvement in the overall competitiveness of the smaller teams.
“It all boils down to the opportunity that SuperSport Schools is giving to these boys. These boys being on the app already says a lot. When the scouts are searching, they’ll go to the SuperSport Schools app and look at the u19 division,” Mosala told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“What I changed at Joburg City is the mindset to say, we have an opportunity to grow. The u19 level is the last level of development. So, the question that I am asking my boys is, ‘Where do you want to go? What’s the next level?’
“That’s the mindset that I’ve changed with my players, to say, ‘The next level needs to be higher, and SuperSport Schools has given you guys the opportunity to be on the app. Some games are live on TV. So, you get those opportunities. Use the opportunities that you are given.’ So, I think it’s the mindset and the hunger.
Mosala joined Joburg City in July 2024 and inherited a team that sat at the very bottom of the standings. He helped them complete the season in 16th place.
When reflecting on the brilliant start to the 2025 campaign he has had with his team, which currently sits sixth on the log, with seven wins from 12 games, including victories over the defending champions Highlands Park and the highly respected School of Excellence, Mosala highlighted his unique style of scouting talent after he was forced to build a new team for the season.
“I joined Joburg City last year in July when they were struggling a lot. I found them last on the log,” he said. “In some games, I had to use u17 players because last year the Joburg City u17s were doing exceptionally well,” said Mosala.
“So, at the beginning of the season, obviously, the boys that did well went to other teams, and I had to build the team from scratch as we only had five players from last year.
“Building a team from scratch, we were looking for different types of players. First of all, we’re looking at a player’s ability on the ball, off the ball, and off the field. Is a player a good person? Is he a good person outside of football?
“Will he be able to understand the situation if he trains the whole week, but the coach’s technical plan is to play a player who trains twice, but who has a different profile? So, we looked at those factors. We looked at the aggression, the aggression on the ball, the communication, and we tried to build a team.
“It’s becoming better day by day, week by week, game by game. We now have fighters. These boys refuse to give up.”
Coming off a 0-1 loss to Jomo Cosmos last week, Mosala will lead his boys against Thokozani Mnguni‘s Rockefvs FC, a team that is high in confidence after they held Sundowns to a draw last week.
Mosala told SuperSport Schools Plus that Joburg City is expecting a tough contest on Saturday.
“I’m expecting a technically good team, a team that plays with aggression,” he said. “I’ve profiled their striker, a very, very good striker that they have, the number seven. All in all, I’m expecting a tough game.
“I’m expecting a team that’s motivated. Playing to 1-1 with Sundowns and winning 3-0 at Elspark, they’ve been having a good run.
“So, the question is, will our boys be resilient from the 0-1 loss against Cosmos, get up and say we want to fight and win the game at home? Because we only have one win at home, which is not a good stat for us.
“We’re hoping to get the second win, but let’s see if the boys will be ready for such a game.”
FIXTURES
Saturday, 24 May
Joburg City vs Rockefvs FC Seven’s Academy vs Tuks SuperSport United vs Jomo Cosmos Elspark United vs Remember Elite Sport Academy Kaizer Chiefs vs TS Galaxy Highlands Park vs East Rand Athletic Club Wits Junior vs Kathorus Hyper Academy Panorama FC vs Randburg AFC
Twelve rounds into the Gauteng Development League (GDL) season, coach Skhosiphi Mgobozi and his Randburg AFC u19 boys have toppled some of the giants of African football and, for the first time, they sit at the top of the GDL standings.
That achievement follows a 3-1 win over the two-time defending champion, Highlands Park, on the weekend.
Yet, their ascension to the top, now, appears as if it was almost inevitable. To anyone who has seen Mgobozi’s team in action this season, it was clear they would be real contenders.
In an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, Mgobozi reflected on AFC Randburg’s hot start to the season and highlighted continuity and team culture as the two standout ingredients in his team’s success.
“Firstly, we’ve got a really talented group of players who have benefitted from being in our system for a long time and having stayed at the club for a long time. Continuity is very important. It allows us to keep the same group of players, but also improve on that,” Mgobozi explained.
“A lot of these boys have moved through the ranks together, so it’s always good to see them at the end of this journey, in the u19 season, doing so well. So, I think that’s the first point.
“I think, secondly, a big emphasis was on our culture. We’re big on togetherness. We’re big on sacrifice. We’re big on suffering together, and the culture and the competitive element we have in training, we’re seeing that on the pitch.
“You’ve got a lot of talented guys, but our message every day is about what I’m doing – helping the team or is it hurting the team? The team comes first, and together we can achieve good things.
“We all have individual aspirations. We all want to play professionally, whether it’s going to an American varsity, or whatever it might be. But in order to get there, you’re going to need the collective to do so.
“So, credit to all the boys and all the coaches. It’s been a magical start.”
Heading into the showdown with Highlands Park, Randburg AFC was on a five-match winning streak, but they knew that the Lions of the North would present a massive step up in competition.
However, Mgobozi backed his team to utilise their ability to keep possession of the ball to their advantage despite Highlands Park’s reputation for holding a large percentage of ball possession themselves in the past couple of years.
“I think Highlands Park is a fantastic club, Coach Sifiso (Mnguni) is a wonderful coach,” Mgobozi said.
“Our first approach was identifying the step up we needed to take psychologically for a game like that. For the longest time, I don’t think we had beaten Highlands at u19 level, given how successful they’ve been over the last three to five years, particularly in that age group.
“So, we knew from a psychological point of view, we’re going to have to be up for it. We’re going to have to fight for every ball. We’re going to need to have the desire and the belief and the togetherness that we could go, not to draw, but to win.
“This season, the challenge has been, let’s go for the win, go for the jugular, go for the result. So that’s the first psychological piece. Tactically, we knew Highlands is a very direct team, defensively organised, and that they would set either wide or central traps.
“But I think we nullified that well. It was a tough first half. We needed to make adjustments. We saw that they were playing with three at the back and we felt we were just isolated with our one striker.
“We actually pressed with two and then sent in a third wide midfielder in to press them, three on three, which I think really helped and disrupted their supply and allowed us to get more of the ball, which is where we’re strong. We like to keep the ball, hold the ball, and take the ball. As soon as we could affect their supply, we then started to control the game more.”
With the dominance and the rise of Randburg AFC, other smaller teams have shown fight this season with Joburg City, Kathorus Hyper Academy, and Rockefvs standing out against steep competition.
Mgobozi feels SuperSport Schools’ live streaming has levelled the playing field as the smaller teams can now better prepare for the bigger clubs, including Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, and Highlands Park.
“I think the smaller teams are looking and wanting to improve and seeing that they’re having to get better. But I think, for me, the biggest contributing factor is the live streams now, and what you guys are doing with the live streams,” Mgobozi told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“That has given coaches insight into how teams are playing. You can now, for example, watch Joburg City. You can watch their last seven games, for example, and pick up patterns, pick up what they’re trying to do, which has helped in terms of preparation. So, teams are a lot more organised.”
SuperSport United, who topped the table heading into the weekend, dropping points when they were held to a goalless draw at TS Galaxy. Kaizer Chiefs, meanwhile, fell to Kathorus Hyper Academy, who notched a 1-0 win.
Joburg City’s run of five wins on the trot was brought to an end by Jomo Cosmos, who scored a narrow 1-0 win, while Elspark United Academy won 1-0 at East Rand Athletic Club.
Remember Elite Sport Academy edged out Seven’s Academy, claiming a 3-2 victory, while Tuks won by the same score against School of Excellence.
League newcomers, Rockefvs shared the points with Mamelodi Sundowns after holding the Brazilians to a 1-1 draw.
RESULTS
Randburg AFC 3-1 Highlands Park TS Galaxy 0-0 SuperSport United Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-0 Kaizer Chiefs East Rand Athletic Club 0-1 Elspark United Academy Remember Elite Sport Academy 3-2 Seven’s Academy Jomo Cosmos 1-0 Joburg City Tuks 3-2 School of Excellence Mamelodi Sundowns 1-1 Rockefvs FC
Who would’ve thought that a small team, such as Randburg AFC, would headline a round of fixtures in a league with some of Africa’s biggest academies, including Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, SuperSport United, and the School of Excellence?
With five wins on the trot in the Gauteng Development League (GDL), Randburg AFC has earned that position. They’ve forced football fans to sit up and take notice.
Randburg AFC’s victims include Kaizer Chiefs, an in-form Joburg City unit, and the School of Excellence. They’ve picked up an outstanding eight victories in nine games.
They’re in second place on the log, behind only SuperSport United, another team enjoying a superb season, who have lost just once, going down 1-2 to Mamelodi Sundowns a little over a month ago.
This week, Randburg AFC will face one of their toughest tests of the season when they host Highlands Park, the defending back-to-back GDL champions.
The Lions of the North are a well-coached side, and they’re also in search of redemption after dropping points in some of their recent outings.
In an exclusive interview with SuperSport Schools Plusearlier this week, Highlands Park coach Sifiso Mnguni attributed his team’s inconsistency to injuries to key players and highlighted that those key players have made a full recovery, which means they’ll be feeling confident ahead of their trip to Randburg.
In other fixtures, Mamelodi Sundowns takes on Rockefvs FC, Tuks meets the School of Excellence, and Seven’s Academy visits Remember Elite Sport Academy.
Jomo Cosmos is home to Joburg City, East Rand Athletic Club tackles Elspark United Academy, Kathorus Hyper Academy goes up against Kaizer Chiefs, and Panorama FC faces Wits Junior.
To close off the weekend, SuperSport United will be aiming to hold onto their lead at the top of the league when they play away at TS Galaxy.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 17 May
Randburg AFC vs Highlands Park
Mamelodi Sundowns vs Rockefvs FC
Tuks vs School of Excellence
Jomo Cosmos vs Joburg City
Remember Elite Sport Academy vs Seven’s Academy
East Rand Athletic Club vs Elspark United Academy
Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Kaizer Chiefs
Panorama FC vs Wits Junior
Eleven games into the Gauteng Development League season, the two-time defending champions, Highlands Park, find themselves off the pace, sitting in fifth place in the u19 division, with SuperSport United leading the way.
The side has dropped a surprising number of points in their last five matches, which is the kind of inconsistency that one would not usually associate with the Lions of the North.
However, included in those last five games are a loss to Joburg City and draws against Jomo Cosmos and SuperSport United.
In an interview with SuperSport Schools Plus, coach Sifiso Mnguni discussed his team’s middling form, citing injuries as one of the key reasons behind their inconsistent performances.
“We lost to Joburg City and drew against Cosmos. A draw against Cosmos, we honestly didn’t deserve. I felt we dominated the game. I think 15 minutes into the game we were 2-0 up and conceded sloppy goals,” Mnguni reasoned.
“One of the things we’ve been struggling with has been consistency in the line-up. We’ve been making forced changes as two of our stronger centre backs were also out with injuries.
“Against Cosmos, we were unlucky because when you’re 2-0 up in the opening 15 minutes, then you should win the game. Against Joburg City, as well, because of the struggle of the centre backs, we made defensive errors.
“Also, we created a lot of chances in that game but, all in all, we have certain departments we need to fix and maybe recruit for the second round.
“With all due respect to Joburg City, sometimes the boys tend to be complacent and think that it’s a guaranteed win against them. This league is getting more difficult, especially for us because we are the defending champions. Everyone wants to beat us,” he added.
On the weekend, Highlands Park faced a stiff challenge with an away clash against the table-topping SuperSport United. Mnguni had his centre-backs back, but the problem they faced lay at the other end of the field. They created plenty of opportunities, but struggled to turn those into goals.
“Our biggest boost was that our centre backs came back when we went to SuperSport, but yet again we were unlucky,” Mnguni told SuperSport Schools Plus.
“We quickly discovered that one of the departments that we needed to improve is getting a number nine (a centre forward or striker) because we are creating a lot of chances, but we are not scoring.”
Mnguni’s side bounced back in their fixture against Kaizer Chiefs, beating coach David Mathebula‘s side 1-0 at home to return to winning ways.
“Against Chiefs, I think the boys worked extremely hard as a team and, again, there’s no motivation needed when you’re playing Chiefs,” Mnguni said.
“The boys stuck to the game plan. We hit them on the counter, and the boys played really well considering the points that we dropped and the manner we drew against SuperSport.
“The boys showed good fight and character to be able to bounce back. Hopefully, we keep our players fit and available for the coming fixtures.”
RESULTS
Sunday, 11 May
Seven’s Academy 2-1 East Rand Athletic Club
Saturday, 10 May
Elspark United 0-5 Randburg AFC SuperSport United 1-0 Kathorus Hyper Academy Joburg City 1-0 TS Galaxy School of Excellence 1-4 Remember Elite Sport Academy Rockefvs FC 1-1 Jomo Cosmos Tuks 0-4 Mamelodi Sundowns
After breaking into the top eight of the Gauteng Development League (GDL) standings last week, with an upset of the champions, Highlands Park, Joburg City impressed once again with a 1-0 victory over Kathorus Hyper Academy on Sunday.
With the victory, Joburg City extended their winning streak to four matches, having previously won against Highlands Park, School of Excellence and Seven’s Academy.
The log leaders, SuperSport United, dropped points against the champions, Highlands Park, on Workers Day, and they followed that with a goalless draw against Panorama FC, on Sunday.
While United dropped points, Mamelodi Sundowns closed the gap on the table-toppers with an 8-0 thrashing of Jomo Cosmos, at Clapham High School, on Sunday.
It was a disappointing result for Cosmos, who headed into the fixture high in confidence after an emphatic 4-1 victory over TS Galaxy, on Thursday.
In other results, on Thursday, School of Excellence lost 0-3 to Randburg AFC, Rockefvs drew 1-1 against Kathorus Hyper Academy, Tuks beat East Rand Athletic Club 2-0, and Seven’s Academy shared a 2-2 draw with Wits Junior.
On Sunday, Randburg AFC handed Seven’s Academy a 2-1 loss, East Rand Athletic Club and School of Excellence drew 1-1, and Tuks fell 1-2 to Randburg AFC.
RESULTS
Thursday, 1 May
Jomo Cosmos 4-1 TS Galaxy
School of Excellence 0-3 Randburg AFC
Rockefvs 1-1 Kathorus Hyper Academy
Tuks 2-0 East Rand Athletic Club
SuperSport United 1-1 Highlands Park
Seven’s Academy 2-2 Wits Junior
Sunday, 4 May
Kathorus Hyper Academy 0-1 Joburg City
Tuks 1-2 Remember Elite Sports Academy
East Rand Athletic Club 1-1 School of Excellence
Randburg AFC 2-1 Seven’s Academy
Panorama FC 0-0 SuperSport United
Mamelodi Sundowns 8-0 Jomo Cosmos
Zeekoevlei High lifted the Freedom Cup trophy on the weekend at Wynberg Boys’ High School after defeating Urban Academy in the final of the under-19 division.
The tournament brought together over 900 players, competing in the u15, 17, and u19 age divisions.
In total, there were 56 teams, who played a record-breaking 158 fixtures across six fields over a period of four days.
Cape Town’s biggest schools, including Bishops and Rondebosch, participated in the event, which is one of the biggest football tournaments in the Western Cape region and, indeed, in the country.
From the outset, Zeekoevlei was well ahead of the other teams, and they carried their momentum into the knockout stage of the tournament. They breezed through those matches, too, and into the final.
It was far tougher in the title game, where a determined Urban Academy side gave them a run for their money. At full-time, the teams were level at 1-1.
Zeekoevlei, though, stayed calm and managed the shootout better than Urban Academy to claim the title.
Rondebosch Boys’ High won the Plate after beating Norman Henshilwood 4-0 while the Wynberg Boys’ High B team walked away as the Bowl winners.
Knockout Results
Cup final – Zeekoevlei High 1-1 Urban Academy
3rd/4th – Wynberg Boys’ High 2-4 George Royals
11th/12th – Bishops 0-1 South Peninsula
Plate Final – Rondebosch Boys 4-0 Norman Henshilwood
Final Standings
Zeekoevlei High
Urban Academy
George Royals
Wynberg Boys High
Plumstead High
Portland High
Pinelands
Milnerton
Rondebosch Boys’ High
Norman Henshilwood High
South Peninsula High
Bishops
Edgemead High
Hout Bay International School
Westerford High
The Glen High
Wynberg Boys’ High B
St Peter’s College
Curro Century City
Reddam House Constantia
The back-to-back Gauteng Development League (GDL) champions, Highlands Park, suffered their first loss of the season, going down at home, on Monday, when they became Joburg City’s third victim in succession this season.
Gone are the days when a select few dominated the league. The underdogs are making their presence felt this season, and the usual bullies are feeling the pressure seven rounds into the 2025 edition of Africa’s top development competition.
Highlands Park was unbeaten through six rounds, but that clean record was brought to a sudden and emphatic stop by Joburg City, who inflicted a humbling 3-0 defeat on coach Sifiso Mnguni’s charges at Balfour Park.
Highlands Park’s lacklustre performance in front of their home fans might have had something to do with the fact that they hadn’t played any competitive football for almost a fortnight, which included missing out on the Bayhill Cup, in Cape Town, over the Easter weekend.
Nonetheless, The Lions of the North became the latest team to fall victim to Joburg City.
It’s a far cry from Joburg City’s showing last season when they finished a lowly 16th in the 18-team league. This season, they have beaten School of Excellence, Seven’s Academy, and have now added Highlands Park to their hit list.
Those three wins are half the number they won all of last season.
While Highlands Park dropped points, Supersport United hung on to first place with a 2-0 victory over Seven’s Academy, on Saturday, and a 2-1 victory over Elspark United, on Monday, to complete a successful weekend of away fixtures for coach Tumelo Ndaba’s unit.
Kaizer Chiefs was also clinical, beating School of Excellence 3-1, on Saturday, before adding to Seven’s Academy’s misery with a 2-1 defeat, on Monday.
Kathorus Hyper Academy also enjoyed a fruitful weekend, securing 1-1 draws against TS Galaxy, on Saturday, and Jomo Cosmos, on Monday.
In other fixtures, Mamelodi Sundowns continued their climb up the log standings after charging to a 5-0 win over TS Galaxy. East Rand Athletic Club lost 1-3 to Remember Elite Sport Academy, while Panorama beat Rockefvs FC 1-0.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 26 April
School of Excellence 1-3 Kaizer Chiefs TS Galaxy 1-1 Kathorus Hyper Academy Jomo Cosmos 1-2 Panorama FC Tuks 1-1 Wits Junior Seven’s Academy 0-2 Supersport United
Monday, 28 April
Highlands Park 0-3 Joburg City Mamelodi Sundowns 5-0 TS Galaxy Kathorus Hyper Academy 1-1 Jomo Cosmos Randburg AFC 2-0 Tuks East Rand Athletic Club 1-3 Remember Elite Sport Academy Kaizer Chiefs 2-1 Seven’s Academy Elspark United 1-2 Supersport United
Panorama 1-0 Rockefvs FC
The Gauteng Development League returns this weekend following a break over the Easter holiday, where teams competed in other competitions in different parts of the country.
The return of the league almost didn’t happen because of persistent rains in the Gauteng province over the last two weeks.
However, the grounds’ drainage systems and hard work from the various ground staff means that some matches will be played this week.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the ground staff, Remember Elite Sport Academy‘s President Park Stadium won’t be ready in time, because of a water-logged pitch, which has resulted in their fixture against the in-form Randburg AFC being postponed.
Moreover, the Rockefvs’ home fixture against Highlands Park has suffered the same fate, with the newbies’ ACCP Grounds also waterlogged.
The rest of the scheduled fixtures will be played. First up is the weekend’s most anticipated match-up. It takes place at Elandsfontein, where School of Excellence hosts Kaizer Chiefs.
TS Galaxy welcomes Kathorus Hyper Academy to the 3 Squared Stadium, Mamelodi Sundowns travels to Tsakane Stadium to play East Rand Athletic Club, while Jomo Cosmos tackles Panorama FC at the Southern Suburbs Sports and Recreation Centre.
Wits Junior visits Tuks for a clash at the Tuks Sports Ground, Sevens Academy takes on the log leaders Superport United at Woodlands International College, and Joburg City goes up against league newbies Elspark United Academy at the Greek Sporting Club.
A full list of fixtures follows on Monday, with the showdown between Mamelodi Sundowns and TS Galaxy arguably the pick of them.
FIXTURES
Saturday, 26 April
School of Excellence vs Kaizer Chiefs East Rand Athletic Club vs Mamelodi Sundowns TS Galaxy vs Kathorus Hyper Academy Jomo Cosmos vs Panorama FC Tuks vs Wits Junior Seven’s Academy vs Supersport United Joburg City vs Elspark United Academy
Monday, 28 April
Highlands Park vs Joburg City Mamelodi Sundowns vs TS Galaxy Kathorus Hyper Academy vs Jomo Cosmos Randburg AFC vs Tuks East Rand Athletic Club vs Remember Elite Sport Academy Wits Junior vs School of Excellence Kaizer Chiefs vs Seven’s Academy Elspark United vs Supersport United
Easter in South Africa is synonymous with sport, with the football menu including Orlando Pirates hosting their annual Pirates Cup at Marks Park, in Johannesburg, over four days.
It ended on Monday with Lerumo Lions capturing the Men’s u21 title while Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies took home the Women’s trophy.
A solitary strike from Lumka Qhekeka proved decisive as Sundowns Ladies claimed a maiden triumph in the competition, defeating the 2023 runners-up, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Ladies in a hotly contested final.
A similar scoreline decided the destination of the men’s trophy, with an early goal from Bongani Mpini handing Lions a hard-fought victory over the tournament hosts, Pirates.
Both finals were fitting showstoppers after a long weekend of exciting football action, which kicked off with 64 teams from around South Africa and beyond. When the dust had settled, Sundowns Ladies had followed in the footsteps of the inaugural champions, Tuks Ladies, and the 2024 winners, JVW.
After securing their spot in the knockout stage of the competition on the opening day, Banyana Ba Stylereturned on Monday for a semifinal showdown against Wits Ladies.
It ended 1-0 in favour of the team from Tshwane after a tight tussle, which set up a title-deciding clash against UJ Ladies. They had played to a goalless draw against the defending champions in their semifinal, before edging out JVW in a penalty shootout.
That set up a fascinating final between two sides who had fallen just short of glory in the competition’s previous editions, with the 2024 runners-up, Sundowns Ladies, prevailing to claim the grand prize of R50 000.
Third place went to Wits Ladies, who, for the second match in succession, handed JVW a defeat on penalties.
JVW did have cause to celebrate, however, when their star forward, Bonolo Mokoma, received the Golden Boot for her seven goals, which also won her the tournament’s MVP accolade.
The semifinals also proved to be the end of the road for last year’s men’s champions, with the Buccaneerseliminating UJ from the spot after they had played to a goalless draw in regulation time.
There was a similar story in the parallel fixture between Leruma Lions and Wits, with the team from the North West Province prevailing in another shootout to book a place in the final against the Soweto giants.
Bongani Mpini’s strike from close range handed Lions an early lead, which they clung onto to thwart the tournament hosts’ attempt at claiming their first Pirates Cup title since 2018.
Midfielder Lucky Malatsi took home the MVP accolade for inspiring Lerumo Lions to victory with his eye-catching displays in the middle of the pitch, while Emalahleni United‘s Alfred Kwanele was the men’s Golden Boot winner after scoring five goals.
Wits, meanwhile, emulated their ladies’ team by finishing third in the tournament after getting the better of UJ in the third-place playoff.
SuperSport United, defeated Jomo Cosmos on Saturday in the Gauteng Development League (GDL). By scoring two goals and conceding none, Matsatsantsa aPitori returned to the top of the u19 GDL standings.
Twelve matches into the season, the Gauteng Development League (GDL) has seen a shift as “smaller” teams have become contenders and some of those teams are leading the way on the u19 log. 
Who would’ve thought that a small team, such as Randburg AFC, would headline a round of fixtures in a league with some of Africa’s biggest academies, including Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, SuperSport United, and the School of Excellence?
The Gauteng Development League returns this weekend following a break over the Easter holiday, where teams competed in other competitions in different parts of the country. 
