PSL Club Sales
All the South African topflight clubs that have been sold down the years and what became of the new teams.
The sale of Bloemfontein Celtic to the owners of Royal AM has seen one of the great names of South African football disappear into oblivion, just a year after the 99-year history of BidVest Wits came to an end. They are certainly not the first teams to suffer this fate, nor will they be the last as the financial pressure continues to grow on clubs in the wake of a weakened South African economy and the COVID-19 pandemic. But the hopeful news for Siwelele is that history has shown us that teams can rise from the ashes – in some cases more than once – and it is not certain that we will never see the Celtic name in the professional football again. KICK OFF’s Nick Said looks at the major top-flight club sales in our football over the last four decades and assesses how they turned out.
Highlands Park to Jomo Cosmos
Jomo Sono was in the market for a topflight status to start his own club and found a willing seller in Highlands Park in 1983, a club who would later three times come back from the dead.
Highlands were founded in 1959, had been league champions eight times and were a famous name through the 1960s and 70s.
Their last game in their original carnation was the final of the BP Top 8 in February 1983, when they lost 2-0 to Orlando Pirates, before the owners decided to sell up to an eager Sono.
The club was originally rebranded Dion Cosmos, but by 1984 had taken on the name they have today, and would go on to claim the National Soccer League (NSL) title in 1987.
The team also lifted the Bob Save Super Bowl in 1990, Coca-Cola Cup in 2002 and 2005, and the SAA Supa8 in 2003.
But their star began to wane soon afterwards and after suffering relegation in 2008, they have yo-yoed between the top two divisions with no further trophy success.
The last few years have been particularly difficult as they have been involved in a few relegation battles to the third tier and amateur football.
Highlands Park briefly returned with a phoenix club in the early 1990s and when Larry Brookstone took ownership in 1996, he later merged with Silver Stars to form HP Silver Stars, which was eventually sold to create the now defunct Platinum Stars.
Brookstone then created another phoenix club of his own under the Highlands Park name and they worked their way up through the South African football pyramid to reach the DStv Premiership.
But in what has become a clear pattern, Brookstone and his fellow directors sold the club’s franchise to Tim Sukazi’s TS Galaxy ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.
In a delicious bit of irony, the one Highlands director who opposed the sale was Sinky Mnisi, who later moved to Royal AM and has been a key cog in their deal to buy Bloemfontein Celtic.
Dynamos to Stallions
There have been various versions of Dynamos down the years, but this one was based in Lenasia and had joined the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1979 with moneybags owner Ismail Pahad, brother of future politicians Essop and Aziz Pahad.
The likes of Ian Bender, Rodney Kitchin and Len Wilkinson arrived from Durban City in a spending splurge, and in the club’s first two seasons they had top six finishes.
But the team began to struggle and in 1983 Pahad sold to Ronnie Ho, a wealthy Chinese-South African butcher, for R85,000.
Ho changed the club’s name to Stallions
and continued to purchase players, including goalkeeper Patson Banda from Orlando Pirates.
But in June 1984, he too wanted out and sold the club to Darius Molokomme, a construction tycoon from Vosloorus. But at the end of the year the club were relegated after finishing bottom of the league and faded into obscurity.
Durban City to Natal United
Durban City are a famous old name in South African football and had coaches such as Budgie Byrne and Clive Barker in charge at various points.
They were the first winners of the ‘whites only’ National Football League in 1959, and later joined the NPSL and finally the NSL.
The club was sold midway through 1988 to a group of local businessmen, who renamed it Natal United, though the team was relegated at the end of that season and disbanded.
An amateur team named Natal United was revived in 2009 to play in amateur football and appeared in the 2015 Nedbank Cup, where they defeated Chippa United on penalties in the Last 32 before losing 1-0 to Lamontville Golden Arrows.
That team was relegated from the thirdtier in the shortened 2019-20 ABC Motsepe League season.
Arcadia Shepherds to Dynamos
Arcadia Shepherds from Pretoria is another famous old name in the South African game and was formed in 1903, producing many great players down the years, the likes of Roy Wegerle, Mark Fish, Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela.
But as they hit hard times financially, their status was sold for a rebirth of Dynamos in Lenasia in 1990, though it was a completely separate entity to the original, as the new owners tried to use the name and brand to garner support.
They quickly faded from the scene following the club’s 1993 relegation.
Arcadia were most recently competing in the SAB Regional League, the fourth tier of South African football.
Rangers to Pilkington United Brothers
Johannesburg-based Rangers were another of the ‘originals’ from the era of professional football and won the NSL title in 1986 having been formed all the way back in 1889.
But three years later the club was sold to the owners of Pilkington United Brothers (PUBS).
PUBS were relegated the following season in 1990 and were not seen again in the top-flight.
Ratanang Mahlosiane to Manning Rangers
Durban side Manning Rangers were relegated from NSL in 1992 but purchased the status of Ratanang Mahlosiane, who had ended in 12th position, to stay in the top division.
They were rebranded Chatsworth Rangers for the next season, but by the following year had reverted to Manning Rangers.
The club won the inaugural Premier Soccer League title in the 1996/97 season with Gordon Igesund in charge, and continued to be a force for a number of seasons as one of the leading sides in the league.
Once Igesund left it started a slow slide and the team were relegated via the play-offs in the 2004/05 season. They later filed for bankruptcy and sold the second-tier status to Fidentia Rangers and moved to Cape Town, though that team had its own money issues and did not last long.
Blackpool to Highlands Park to Welkom Eagles
Blackpool bought fellow top-flight side Highlands Park following their relegation in 1992 and took that name in the new season, narrowly avoiding relegation in their first year.
But ‘Highlands’ were soon sold to Welkom Eagles, relocating to the Free State, though that side was relegated in their first season in 1993.
Two years later businessman Peter Rabali started a new team called Rabali Blackpool but it was not considered the same club and soon faded.
Crystal Brains to Michau Warriors
Crystal Brains won promotion to the top-flight at the end of 1995 but managed just one win and four points in 17 games of the bridging 1996 campaign ahead of the formation of the PSL.
There was no relegation from the league, but the status was sold to form Michau Warriors ahead of the start of the real deal in August 1996.
The new club was based in Port Elizabeth and owned by businessman Michau Huisaman, who took the best of the local talent and added some journeymen players to the mix.
They initially battled, but found form towards the end of the season, though it was not enough for survival as they were relegated by a single point.
Warriors finished runners-up in the secondtier the next season having missed out on promotion to Rob Moore’s Seven Stars, and Huisaman pulled the plug on the project.
Pretoria City to SuperSport United
Arguably the most successful of the club sales, fledgling satellite television provider M-Net purchased the status of newly-promoted Pretoria City in 1995 and the following season renamed the club SuperSport United after their sports channel.
The club would go from strength to strength and remain a force in the PSL today, though there have recently been rumblings that they might be up for sale, which CEO Stan Matthews has repeatedly denied.
The club won three league titles in a row under Gavin Hunt between 2008 and 2010, and have also claimed what is now the Nedbank Cup on five occasions, the MTN8 competition trophy three times and the defunct Telkom Knockout once in 2014.
The team have also competed in the CAF Champions League and reached the final of the CAF Confederation Cup in 2017.
The team have finished in the top eight every year since the 2000/01 season, the only club in the elite league to do so.
Hellenic to Benoni Premier United
Famed Cape Town side Hellenic hit a financial wobble in the early 2000s and tried to push through what they thought was an elegant solution that failed dismally.
They were former NFL champions and brought through a generation of Cape Town talent, but struggled for form towards the end and had a number of narrow scrapes with relegation.
They were headed for the drop in the 200304 season when they managed only three points from their first 16 games, so decided to swap statuses with second-tier Benoni Premier United.
The clubs shared the players among them, but by the end of the campaign both were relegated from their respective divisions, United from the top-tier and Hellenic from the second division.
Hellenic’s long-time benefactor George Hadjidakis died in June 2004 and the family decided to call it quits in football after that.
United continued on in the second-tier and were promoted back to the top-flight via the play-offs at the end of 2005-06.
Hellenic made an aborted comeback as they tried to win promotion from the ABC Motsepe League under Mark Byrne, but gave up due to the underhand dealings in that division and became a successful academy only. Byrne passed away in August this year.
Tembisa Classic to Maritzburg United
Maritzburg United had been campaigning in the second-tier but purchased the top-flight status of Tembisa Classic just two days before the start of the 2005-06 season.
It was so tight that Classic’s opener against Silver Stars was switched from being their home game to that of their opponents because the new owners had not sorted out a venue for the team yet.
The sale was for a reported R10-million as
the Classic owners battled with the financial means to keep the team going.
Benoni Premier United to Thanda Royal Zulu
Benoni Premier United played the top-flight season in 2006-07 following their promotion, but escaped relegation on goal-difference and the status was sold to a Swedish consortium that included prominent coach Sven-Göran Eriksson.
The team was moved from Benoni to Durban, and later Richards Bay, but struggled in their first season as they finished one place above the relegation zone.
They had some good players on their books, not least current Kaizer Chiefs striker Bernard Parker, but the following year went down after losing to Mpumalanga Black Aces in the play-off final.
The team continued playing in the second tier but also suffered financial struggles and when they were promoted to the top-flight in the 2016-17 campaign, sold their top-flight status to AmaZulu.
Mpumalanga Black Aces to Cape Town City
Mpumalamga Black Aces had been a popular feature of the top-flight under the Morfou brothers, George and Mario, though they did flit between the second-tier and the elite league.
But the team was on the up and finished an excellent fourth in the 2015-16 season under coach Muhsin Ertugral.
Oddly, it was at that point the Morfous decided to get out and sold their top-flight status to former Ajax Cape Town chairman John Comitis, who created Cape Town City, reviving a famous old name from the country’s football, though it is not the same team that was so popular in the 1960s and 70s.
City have largely been a breath of fresh air in the top-flight, playing exciting football, winning the Telkom Knockout in 2016 and the MTN8 in 2018, and leading the way with their funky social media presence and branding.
The club are hoping for a good season under returning coach Eric Tinkler in 2021-22.
Thanda Royal Zulu to AmaZulu
Following Thanda’s promotion in 201617, AmaZulu saw the chance to regain the top-flight status they had lost in the 2014-15 season when they finished bottom of the table.
They purchased the status of Thanda, and at the same time sold their second-tier status to new owners, who formed Richards Bay, keeping a professional club in that town.
Usuthu have since been sold to new owner Sandile Zungu, though he has retained the brand and Durban presence of the team, who were led to second place in the league last season by coach Benni McCarthy.
Platinum Stars to Cape Umoya United
The Royal Bafokeng Nation had been owners of Platinum Stars since 2007 and enjoyed some good times with Dikwena, most notably their MTN8 and Telkom Knockout victories in 2013 when they beat Orlando Pirates in both finals under coach Allan Freese.
But financial woes in the mining sector meant they were looking to dispose of their asset by the 2017-18 season, which also coincided with the club’s relegation from the top-flight.
A consortium led by then coach Roger de Sa purchased the club and their now secondtier status and renamed the team Cape Umoya United and then later just Cape United.
They had hoped for promotion back to the elite league, but after three seasons of failing t o do so, sold their status to the Venda Football A cademy ahead of this 2021-22 campaign.
Bidvest Wits to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila to Marumo Gallants
While the sale of Bloemfontein Celtic’s status had been condemned, the loss of BidVest Wits and their 99-year history ahead of he 2020-21 season was equally devastating.
Just a few years after they had been crowned league champions for the first time, owners BidVest decided to sell and found a buyer in construction tycoon Simon Malatji, for what was reported to be a cut-price deal. How that transaction materlialised probably deserves further scrutiny in the future.
It was clear that Malatji was in over his head though and within months he was looking for a new buyer himself, offloading the club to Abram Sello, who later rebranded the team Marumo Gallants.
Before then they did manage to turn things around on the pitch after a disastrous start, surviving relegation and winning the Nedbank Cup.
In a twist that almost beggars belief, Malatji and TTM will be back in the GladAfrica Championship this season after buying the second-tier status of Royal AM that was no longer needed when the bought Celtic.
A team named Wits University FC are playing in the ABC Motsepe League after purchasing the status of Baberwa FC and are hopeful of one day returning to the top-flight.
Highlands Park to TS Galaxy
Highlands Park continued their trend of winning promotion to the top tier and then offloading their valuable status, this time to former player intermediatory Tim Sukazi and his TS Galaxy outfit.
Sukazi has been involved in local football a long time and understands what it takes to run a successful club, having already tasted trophy glory when his then second-tier side beat Kaizer Chiefs in the final of the 2019 Nedbank Cup.
They finished ninth in the Premiership in their first season, a platform from which to build.
No doubt Highlands will be back in the years to come having started again in the amateur ranks.