Get to know a little bit more about the ABC Motsepe League clubs participating in the Nedbank Cup round of 32 this week.
AMAVARARA (EASTERN CAPE)
ABC Motsepe League side Amavarara will make their debut in the Nedbank Cup last 32 after defeating Tede United Brothers from the SAB Regional League to win a place among the country’s elite sides.
The team plays in Komani, formerly Queenstown, and has an enthusiastic following that will relish playing one of the country’s big guns.
Amavarara chairperson Lusapho Mzwakali has hailed their progression as an opportunity to showcase their quality on the national stage.
‘This is an opportunity to showcase the talent we have. It is a first for the region and my boys will make our supporters proud,’ he told reporters.
‘When it comes to losing, there are no holy cows in soccer. Whether a team is wearing yellow, gold or black we will prove them fallible.’
The club plays at the Dumpy Adams Sports Ground, but it is likely that they will have to move games to a venue that meets Premier Soccer League standards should they be drawn at home.
‘Depending on the team we draw, we are prepared to travel to any place – East London, Port Elizabeth or Cradock,’ Mzwakali said.
The team is coached by Thomas Tshabalala and was formed in 1988.
HAPPY WANDERERS (KWAZULU-NATAL)
Margate side Happy Wanderers will return to the Nedbank Cup after they last appeared in the competition in the 2018 season.
On that occasion, they were drawn with fellow KwaZulu-Natal side Royal Eagles from the National First Division and were narrow 1-0 losers.
They were part of the SA Regional League back then, but have since won promotion to the province’s ABC Motsepe League, where they currently campaign.
The team is still only six years old and was started by Phumlani Ndwandwe, who wanted to give youngsters in the area the chance to shine.
‘I started this team from scratch and in the early years I was a “Jomo Sono” – owner and coach‚’ Ndwandwe said.
‘But I started it with a dream to give young players in the Margate area a platform to perform.
‘I have said to them‚ I cannot promise you much‚ but what I can promise you is that I will give you the stage to play. It is up to you to use it and take this opportunity.’
The team plays at the South Coast Academy, though when they played Royal Eagles in 2018, the game was staged at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium.
HUNGRY LIONS (NORTHERN CAPE)
Hungry Lions hail from the Northern Cape, a region that has had a difficult history in the Nedbank Cup, but improved in recent years.
Powerlines FC represented the province in 2012 and lost 24-0 to Mamelodi Sundowns, still the largest margin of victory in any professional fixture in South Africa.
ABC Motsepe League side Lions will be well aware of that and keen to make history of a different kind in their debut in the competitions.
The side are from Postmasburg, some 170km from Upington, and are coached by Shabba Baise.
They do have some experience in their squad, including former Bloemfontein Celtic star Moses Spandeel, a stalwart of the South African top flight. Now 39, he last played in the Nedbank Cup in 2016 for Eastern Cape side Mthatha Bucks.
Lions beat SAB Regional League side Phokwane Stars to win a place in the Nedbank Cup last 32. They are making their debut at this stage of the competition.
PASSION FC (MPUMALANGA)
Passion FC are barely two years old having been formed in 2018, but are set to make their bow on the national stage when they play in the Nedbank Cup last 32.
The club are based in the Mpumalanga town of Carolina, which is situated some 150km from Mbombela, and two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Johannesburg.
The team appointed former Kaizer Chiefs winger Frank Makua as technical director at the start of the season after they moved up from the SAB Regional League, where they had been competing in the Gert Sibanda region.
The club’s elevation came after they purchased the status of FC Zone Mavo and moved up a division to the ABC Motsepe League.
At the same time they appointed coach Lizo Mjempu, a former top-flight star with Orlando Pirates, Ajax Cape Town, Moroka Swallows and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
The team plays in sky-blue colours and their badge has the look of English Premier League side Manchester City, one of the richest clubs in the world and no doubt where the ambitious team is aiming.
The team is nicknamed ‘the Coal City Boys’ and play their home fixtures at the Carolina rugby ground, but will most likely move any plumb ties they get to the magnificent Mbombela Stadium.
SUPER EAGLES (FREE STATE)
Free State side Super Eagles will be competing in the Nedbank Cup last 32 for the third year running, a mighty achievement for the lower- league side.
Their first showing was in the 2018 competition when they were campaigning in the National First Division, and came within just a few minutes of defeating eventual champions Free State Stars in the Last 32, going down 2-1 after extra time.
That side had the likes of former Nedbank Ke Yona Team graduates Ricardo Versuur and Bongani Mbuli in the mix.
The club were relegated at the end of that season to drop into the ABC Motsepe League, but returned to the Nedbank Cup last 32 in 2019.
They again played against provincial rivals in the form of Bloemfontein Celtic, and again went close before losing 2-1, Phunya Sele Sele scoring an 88th-minute winner through Mpusana Tani.
ZIZWE UNITED (WESTERN CAPE)
Zizwe United have been among the leading teams in the Western Cape ABC Motsepe League for a number of seasons now and will have their eye firmly on promotion to the National First Division this campaign.
But before that they will want to perform in their debut in the Nedbank Cup, having narrowly missed out on qualification in the recent past.
The team are coached by the experienced Julius Dube, who was in charge of Chippa United in the recent past.
The club were formed in 2014 and have made steady progress up from the SAB Regional League since then.
They entered 2020 unbeaten in the ABC Motsepe League after 10 games and with qualification for the Nedbank Cup as well, have been in excellent form in this campaign.
The team play their home matches at the Nyanga Stadium, one of the hot beds of soccer in the Mother City, and a former home of Seven Stars, who thrilled the township before merging with Cape Town Spurs to form Ajax Cape Town.
University Sports South Africa (USSA)
NORTH WEST UNIVERSITY (NORTH WEST)
North West University has long produced top footballers for the South African game, including current Orlando Pirates star Xola Mlambo.
They will now get the opportunity to showcase that talent in the Nedbank Cup, where they will be eager to put themselves in the shop window with the entire country watching.
The team are coached by Karabo Masehela, a former professional player with SuperSport United, University of Pretoria, Thanda Royal Zulu, FC Cape Town, as well as a youth player with Feyenoord in the Netherlands.
He also led the side to the 2019 Varsity Football Championship title, where they defeated Tshwane University of Technology in the decider in what was something of an upset.
Third-tier Als Puk Tawana, which was a team owned by the North West University, stunned provincial rivals Platinum Stars to knock them out of the Nedbank Cup in 2010, still one of the biggest shocks in Nedbank Cup history.
North West University play their home games at the NWU Sport Grounds.
Gauteng SAB Regional League
VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY (GAUTENG)
The Vaal University of Technology Football Club (VUT) will make their debut in the last 32 of the Nedbank Cup and have been a steady conveyor belt of talent down the years.
The team beat Pele Pele in the Gauteng final of the qualifiers to seal their place among the country’s elite sides.
VUT defeated their more fancied opponents 2-1 to showcase their ability as a side with plenty of hard graft and fight.
The club compete in the Gauteng SAB Regional League and is the only one of the Nedbank Cup last-32 sides to play in the fourth tier of South African football.
Former VUT captain Malesela Chokoe now plays in the National First Division for newly promoted JDR Stars, who have not qualified for the Nedbank Cup last 32, denying him a potential match against his previous side.
But it is a sign of the quality in the VUT ranks, with many others in the university team hoping to catch the eye of professional clubs.
