2023–24 SAFA Second Division

SAFA Second Division
Season2023–24
ChampionsHighbury F.C.
PromotedKruger United

The 2023–24 SAFA Second Division (known as the ABC Motsepe League for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 26th season of the SAFA Second Division, the third tier for South African association football clubs, since its establishment in 1998. Due to the size of South Africa, the competition was split into nine divisions, one for each region. After the league stage of the regional competition is completed, the nine winning teams of each regional division entered the playoffs.[2]


Highbury F.C. from the Eastern Cape, and Kruger United from Mpumalanga qualified for the final, with both earning promotion to the 2024–25 National First Division.

Highbury F.C. defeated Kruger United 2-0 in the final, with Highbury taking R1.2 million in prize money, and Kruger United R600,000.[3]

The competition is administered by the South African Football Association.[4]

In January 2024, a game in the Limpopo A stream between Madridtas FC and Vondwe XI Bullets in Tshifudi outside Thohoyandou resulted in a referee being attacked.[5]

In May 2024, three officials were suspended for soliciting bribes.[6]

Regions

[edit]

Eastern Cape

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • EMI
  • Ayliff City

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Sinenkani 16 14 2 0 47 11 +36 44 Playoffs
2 FC Ravens 16 13 3 0 40 7 +33 42
3 Amavarara 16 9 1 6 30 22 +8 28
4 FC Buffalo City Relatives 16 5 3 8 22 32 −10 18
5 Peace Makers FC 16 4 4 8 17 28 −11 16
6 Bush Bucks 16 3 5 8 15 28 −13 14
7 Young Challengers FC 16 3 4 9 11 27 −16 13
8 Camdeboo Football Academy Development 16 3 4 9 17 40 −23 13
9 Hanley FC 16 2 6 8 15 19 −4 12

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Highbury FC 16 13 2 1 44 9 +35 41 Playoffs
2 Matta Milan 16 9 1 6 24 14 +10 28
3 AmaMpondo United 16 7 4 5 19 16 +3 25
4 FC Siyanda 16 7 4 5 20 21 −1 25
5 Ayliff City FC 16 7 2 7 18 22 −4 23
6 Emi FC 16 4 5 7 18 23 −5 17
7 Amaxesibe FC 16 3 7 6 16 28 −12 16
8 Bush Pirates 16 3 5 8 12 21 −9 14
9 Seven Stars 16 3 2 11 13 30 −17 11

Free State

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Ixias
  • Super Eagles

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 D General FC 18 11 6 1 39 20 +19 39
2 Bloemfontein Celtic 18 11 5 2 29 11 +18 38
3 Dikgosi FC 18 10 4 4 25 19 +6 34
4 Dikwena United 18 7 5 6 27 21 +6 26
5 Sibanye Golden Stars 18 7 3 8 22 25 −3 24
6 Super Eagles 18 7 2 9 21 20 +1 23
7 Central University of FS 18 6 3 9 28 29 −1 21
8 Peace Lovers 18 6 2 10 27 36 −9 20
9 Bloemfontein Young Tigers 18 5 3 10 20 33 −13 18
10 FC Matjhabeng 18 2 3 13 19 43 −24 9

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Mangaung Unite 16 11 5 0 33 7 +26 38 Playoffs
2 Mathaithai 16 9 5 2 24 13 +11 32
3 Kovsies FC 16 7 6 3 17 9 +8 27
4 FC Spartans 16 6 5 5 17 13 +4 23
5 African Warriors 16 5 6 5 24 22 +2 21
6 Buffalo FC 16 4 6 6 17 20 −3 18
7 FC Blackcross 16 4 1 11 17 27 −10 13
8 Dynamos FC 16 3 3 10 13 37 −24 12
9 Ixias 16 2 5 9 14 28 −14 11

Gauteng

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

The division was won by Dondol Stars for the second year in a row.[8]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Dondol Stars 34 24 5 5 69 23 +46 77 Playoffs
2 Highlands Park 34 21 8 5 47 16 +31 71
3 Pele Pele 34 19 10 5 54 31 +23 67
4 Jomo Cosmos 34 20 6 8 45 18 +27 66
5 African All Stars 34 20 6 8 54 31 +23 66
6 Tembisa Sports Centre 34 18 9 7 45 28 +17 63
7 Wits University 34 16 4 14 44 41 +3 52
8 Tembisa Hollywood Thunder 34 13 10 11 52 29 +23 49
9 M Tigers 34 12 13 9 47 36 +11 49
10 Dube Continental 34 13 8 13 49 47 +2 47
11 University of Johannesburg 34 12 7 15 43 38 +5 43
12 Soweto Super United 34 10 10 14 40 39 +1 40
13 JBM FC 34 10 7 17 38 54 −16 37
14 Thelray United 34 10 7 17 24 41 −17 37
15 Mike-1-Stars 34 10 7 17 40 61 −21 37
16 Sk FC 34 5 9 20 23 52 −29 24
17 Pretoria Ally's Tigers 34 3 6 25 27 77 −50 15
18 Senaoane Gunners 34 3 2 29 21 100 −79 11

Kwazulu-Natal

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Dlangezwa Hellenic
  • Swayimane United

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial playoffs were won by Njampela FC, who defeated uMsinga United 1-0 after extra time. The game ended 0-0 in regulation time. Their coach, Tshepo Motsoeneng, will be making his sixth appearance at the national playoffs.[9]

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Njampela FC 16 12 2 2 32 9 +23 38 Playoffs
2 Mkhumbane Classic 16 11 3 2 30 8 +22 36
3 Summerfield Dynamos 16 7 6 3 30 16 +14 27
4 Midland Wanderers 16 6 6 4 23 19 +4 24
5 Muzi King Masters 16 5 6 5 21 19 +2 21
6 Hellenic FC 16 4 4 8 13 25 −12 16
7 Asande FC 16 3 4 9 12 24 −12 13
8 Playoffs 16 2 6 8 12 28 −16 12
9 Stone Breakers 16 1 5 10 7 32 −25 8

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Msinga United 18 13 4 1 29 7 +22 43 Playoffs
2 Mkhambathi FC 18 13 3 2 31 10 +21 42
3 FC Drakensberg 18 12 3 3 27 10 +17 39
4 Umvoti FC 18 9 5 4 29 14 +15 32
5 Remax Address Friends 18 6 3 9 22 25 −3 21
6 Chess FC 18 6 1 11 19 25 −6 19
7 Newcastle All Stars 18 5 4 9 16 23 −7 19
8 Ethekwini Coastal 18 5 4 9 14 29 −15 19
9 Swayimane United 18 4 1 13 16 39 −23 13
10 Titanic FC 18 1 4 13 17 38 −21 7

Limpopo

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Nkowankowa Continental
  • Sunrise FC

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Mpheni Home Defenders 18 10 7 1 16 5 +11 37 Playoffs
2 Emmanuel FC 18 8 7 3 18 9 +9 31
3 Munaca FC 18 8 5 5 19 15 +4 29
4 United Artists 18 7 7 4 15 11 +4 28
5 Maruleng Celtic FC 18 8 3 7 18 15 +3 27
6 Vondwe XI Bullets 18 6 7 5 21 14 +7 25
7 Madritas FC 18 6 3 9 15 16 −1 21
8 Winners Park (Bellevue Village) 18 6 3 9 20 28 −8 21
9 Giyani Happy Boys 18 4 5 9 10 20 −10 17
10 Musina United 18 1 5 12 10 29 −19 8

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Tzaneen United 18 14 3 1 35 11 +24 45 Playoffs
2 Ditlou F.C. 18 8 5 5 25 19 +6 29
3 City Motors FC 18 6 7 5 27 23 +4 25
4 Nkowankowa Continental 18 6 7 5 18 17 +1 25
5 Mighty F.C. 18 7 4 7 18 26 −8 25
6 Mokopane Pj Stars FC 18 7 3 8 19 22 −3 24
7 The Dolphins 18 5 7 6 15 13 +2 22
8 Tubatse United 18 6 3 9 21 22 −1 21
9 Sun Rise FC 18 6 1 11 18 29 −11 19
10 Eleven Fast Tigers 18 4 2 12 19 33 −14 14

Mpumalanga

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Phezulu
  • MP Future Stars

The franchise of Passion F.C. was purchased by Cunningmore B.[10]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Kruger United 28 17 8 3 42 14 +28 59 Playoffs
2 Ehlanzeni United FC 28 16 7 5 38 21 +17 55
3 Destiny College 28 13 10 5 33 19 +14 49
4 Phezulu FC 28 13 7 8 41 28 +13 46
5 Middelburg United 28 11 8 9 27 23 +4 41
6 Secunda M Stars 28 11 8 9 31 28 +3 41
7 Witbank City Lads 28 11 6 11 35 32 +3 39
8 Fernie Battalion FC 28 9 10 9 30 34 −4 37
9 FC Sivutsa NPC 28 8 10 10 32 31 +1 34
10 Mpumalanga Football Academy 28 10 3 15 31 35 −4 33
11 The Bees 28 8 9 11 29 33 −4 33
12 Sibange Young Bucks 28 8 7 13 32 43 −11 31
13 Phaphama FC 28 7 8 13 28 38 −10 29
14 Mpumalanga Future United FC 28 7 8 13 24 42 −18 29
15 Bakoena Chiefs 28 4 5 19 17 49 −32 17

North West

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Spain
  • Montshioa Swallows

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Army Rockets FC 16 12 3 1 40 8 +32 39 Playoffs
2 Lerumo Lions 15 8 4 3 30 14 +16 28
3 Kgositlile FC 16 9 1 6 31 24 +7 28
4 Spain FC 15 8 2 5 21 13 +8 26
5 Thaba Tshwane FC 16 6 4 6 19 20 −1 22
6 TUT FC 16 5 5 6 25 25 0 20
7 NWU Tawana FC 16 4 3 9 19 30 −11 15
8 Black Eagles 16 3 2 11 19 29 −10 11
9 North West Super Stars FC 16 2 4 10 12 53 −41 10

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Thames FC 16 11 3 2 41 18 +23 36 Playoffs
2 Mahika Champions 16 8 5 3 27 15 +12 29
3 Montshioa Swallows FC 16 8 5 3 30 23 +7 29
4 North West University 15 6 5 4 21 11 +10 23
5 Stilfontein Real Hearts 15 6 3 6 17 16 +1 21
6 NW Signal 16 5 4 7 20 22 −2 19
7 Indomitable Lions FC 16 5 3 8 25 27 −2 18
8 City Rovers FC 16 3 7 6 19 27 −8 16
9 Taung Mega Stars 16 1 1 14 16 57 −41 4

Northern Cape

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Amaleven
  • Mighty Movers

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 NC Professionals 16 13 3 0 41 8 +33 42 Playoffs
2 Kakamas Juventus 16 10 5 1 33 18 +15 35
3 Olifantshoek Sporting 16 9 3 4 26 22 +4 30
4 Upington Tornado 16 6 3 7 27 25 +2 21
5 Benfica FC 16 5 4 7 22 24 −2 19
6 Kakamas Sundowns 16 4 4 8 18 22 −4 16
7 Olympics 16 4 4 8 26 32 −6 16
8 Amaeleven FC 16 3 3 10 25 38 −13 12
9 Olifantshoek Young Stars 16 2 3 11 20 49 −29 9

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Saints FC 16 12 3 1 39 16 +23 39 Playoffs
2 Jacksa Spears 16 11 4 1 42 13 +29 37
3 Tsantshabane Stars FC 16 9 3 4 21 13 +8 30
4 Postmasburg FC 16 7 1 8 16 18 −2 22
5 United Rovers 16 5 3 8 30 34 −4 18
6 Diamond City 16 4 5 7 18 31 −13 17
7 Kuruman Scorpions 16 4 3 9 13 34 −21 15
8 Mighty Moovers 16 4 1 11 26 32 −6 13
9 Rasta Far Eagles 16 3 3 10 14 28 −14 12

Western Cape

[edit]

Newly promoted teams:[7]

  • Junction Rovers
  • Oriented Birds

Stream A

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 FN Rangers 16 12 4 0 37 11 +26 40 Playoffs
2 Ikapa Sporting 16 9 3 4 27 21 +6 30
3 Hanover Park 16 8 5 3 36 22 +14 29
4 Santos 16 9 2 5 28 19 +9 29
5 Junction Rovers 16 6 3 7 32 35 −3 21
6 Ubuntu Football Club 16 6 2 8 44 32 +12 20
7 Young Bafana 16 5 1 10 21 34 −13 16
8 Royal Blues 16 3 3 10 17 40 −23 12
9 Ukhanya United 16 2 1 13 13 41 −28 7

Stream B

[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Clarewood 16 11 3 2 31 15 +16 36 Playoffs
2 Grassy Park United 16 9 4 3 30 18 +12 31
3 Maties F.C. 16 9 1 6 22 22 0 28
4 Oriented Birds 16 6 5 5 29 28 +1 23
5 Hout Bay United 16 6 4 6 30 25 +5 22
6 Zizwe United 15 4 5 6 20 19 +1 17
7 Cape Town Spurs Youth 16 5 2 9 31 35 −4 17
8 City Kings 16 3 5 8 13 23 −10 14
9 Batalions FC 15 3 1 11 12 33 −21 10

The Western Cape playoffs were won by FN Rangers, who defeated Clarewood FC 2-0 in the final.[11]

Playoffs

[edit]

Group A

[edit]
  • Njampela FC (KwaZulu-Natal)
  • Mpheni Defenders (Limpopo)
  • FN Rangers (Western Cape)

Group B

[edit]
  • Mangaung Unite (Free State)
  • Highbury FC (Eastern Cape)
  • Thames FC [North West]

Group C

[edit]
  • NC Professionals (Northern Cape)
  • Kruger United (Mpumalanga)
  • Dondol Stars (Gauteng)

[12]


Semi-finals

[edit]

[13][14]

Final

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Laduma, Soccer. "SAFA and Motsepe Foundation renew ABC Mostepe League partnership". Soccer Laduma. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  2. ^ "SAFA ABC Motsepe League". SAFA.net. 25 March 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  3. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (23 June 2024). "Highbury FC crowned ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs champions". FARPost. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
  4. ^ "SAFA ABC Motsepe League - SAFA.net". 25 March 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  5. ^ Munyai, Ofhani (15 January 2024). "Another match official manhandled in the ABC Motsepe League". FARPost. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  6. ^ Munyai, Ofhani (13 May 2024). "Three SAFA match officials suspended for soliciting bribes". FARPost. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Raophala, Mauwane (22 August 2023). "Teams promoted to ABC Motsepe League". FARPost. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  8. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (15 April 2024). "Dondol Stars crowned Gauteng ABC Motsepe League champions". FARPost. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  9. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (29 April 2024). "Tshepo Motsoeneng off to ABC Motsepe national playoffs for the sixth time". FARPost. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  10. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (22 July 2023). "Cunningmore B United secure ABC Motsepe League status". FARPost. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  11. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (13 May 2024). "Thames, FN Rangers secure ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs berths". FARPost. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  12. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (4 June 2024). "ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs draw confirmed". FARPost. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  13. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (21 June 2024). "Two new Motsepe Foundation Championship clubs confirmed". FARPost. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  14. ^ Raophala, Mauwane (20 June 2024). "ABC Motsepe League National Playoffs semi-finalists confirmed". FARPost. Retrieved 3 July 2024.