Cape Town Spurs — the team formerly known as Ajax Cape Town and owned by Ari Efstathiou and his family, who were relegated from the Premiership a year ago — fell another division in the space of a season as they finished in 15th place.
City, who went into the game needing a point to clinch the championship, ended with 58 points from 30 games.
Leruma United (27 points), who drew 0-0 with second-placed Orbit College at Olympia Park in Rustenburg, ended last and were also relegated.
Orbit (53 points) and third-placed Casric Stars (48), who beat 12th-placed Hungry Lions, reached the playoffs.
Only one Premiership team will go into the playoffs and there will be no club relegated outright from the top flight in 2024-25 due to the expulsion of Royal AM.
Durban City clinch Motsepe title, pending DC, relegate Cape Town Spurs
Image: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Durban City clinched the 2024-25 Motsepe Foundation Championship title with a 1-0 win at Athlone Stadium on Sunday that also condemned opponents Cape Town Spurs to the third tier ABC Motsepe League.
The Durban side will have to wait to be officially crowned champions as they are facing a disciplinary case over whether attacker Saziso Magawana was improperly registered.
Veteran forward Ruzaigh Gamildien scored the 43rd-minute winner that earned promotion — pending that case — back to the Betway Premiership for the team formerly known as Maritzburg United. The club owned by Pietermaritzburg business-person Farook Kadodia and his family relocated from KwaZulu-Natal capital to Durban and renamed themselves after the iconic Durban team ahead of this season.
Cape Town Spurs — the team formerly known as Ajax Cape Town and owned by Ari Efstathiou and his family, who were relegated from the Premiership a year ago — fell another division in the space of a season as they finished in 15th place.
City, who went into the game needing a point to clinch the championship, ended with 58 points from 30 games.
Leruma United (27 points), who drew 0-0 with second-placed Orbit College at Olympia Park in Rustenburg, ended last and were also relegated.
Orbit (53 points) and third-placed Casric Stars (48), who beat 12th-placed Hungry Lions, reached the playoffs.
Only one Premiership team will go into the playoffs and there will be no club relegated outright from the top flight in 2024-25 due to the expulsion of Royal AM.
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The Premier Soccer League said on Thursday it would not hand the trophy to the winners due to the unresolved cases in front of prosecutor Zola Majavu, with the Magawana matter expected to be heard in front of the dispute resolution chamber on Monday.
Spurs had the better first half at Athlone with veteran midfielders Jarrod Moroole and Daylon Claasen pulling the strings in the middle, winning most of the duels as they ensured their side controlled the tempo of the game.
The home side almost took the lead as early as the eighth minute when Luke Baartman unleashed a ferocious shot from outside the box only to be denied by the upright.
Just three minutes before the end of first-half regulation time 17-year-old Spurs striker Angus Moss rose well to head a cross whipped in by Baartman but failed to generate power to trouble Durban goalkeeper Ayanda Mtshali.
Moments late City took the lead via Gamildien's brilliant header, benefiting from a well-calculated cross from Siyanda Hlangabeza.
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