There will be two teams from the ABC Motsepe League in the Last 16 of the Nedbank Cup this year, a drop from four in the last campaign, though perhaps the first round draw was not as kind to clubs from the SAFA structures this time round.
Dondol Stars and Mpheni Home Defenders will now eagerly await Thursday’s last 16 draw to see who they will face in the next stage, and will be eager to emulate Baroka FC who, as a third-tier side in 2011 went all the way to the semifinals and were within a penalty shoot-out victory of making the decider.
So who are the two amateur sides to have made it this far? We take a closer look at them.
DONDOL STARS
Dondol Stars performed one of the greatest Nedbank Cup upsets in recent times when they ousted fancied SuperSport United with a 2-1 victory in the Last 32.
They had to do it the hard way as well, coming from behind to claim the win against an admittedly patched up SuperSport side.
It was made much sweeter by the fact that this was a Tshwane Derby with Stars hailing from Mamelodi.
They have former SuperSport development goalkeeper Sphamandla Gumede in their side and he put in an excellent display, along with captain Kholofelo Monama, who actually played before in the Nedbank Cup with Great North in 2013. They lost 3-=1 to Platinum Stars in Last 32.
Stars also have former Jomo Cosmos and Mthatha Bucks midfielder Tebogo Makungo, who has some experience at second-tier level. They are coached by Vincent Rammoni.
The club was formed in 2014 when their current owners purchased the fourth-tier status of Bronkhorstspruit-based MSD Devoted Angels.
They have been a feature of the Gauteng ABC Motsepe League for a number of years and have been superb in the current 2022/23 season. They lead the Gauteng stream table by four points from Jomo Cosmos having lost only one of their 21 games.
The team play their home games at Muckleneuk Ground in Pretoria, but are based in Mamelodi, hoping to no doubt emulate another famous team from that area.
The team tends to scout from the rural areas but have had some players from Eswatini in the past. Their slogan is ‘Chaba Re Fete’, which means, ‘move over, we are passing’.
They have appeared in the third-tier national playoffs before without success.
MPHENI HOME DEFENDERS
Mpheni Home Defenders eased into the Last 16 when they defeated fellow third-tier side Clarewood JMP in Thohoyandou with a 3-0 victory.
It is a continuation of their excellent form in the Limpopo ABC Motsepe League that has seen them win nine of their 10 games to date this season and head the table from Giyani Happy Boys.
They have former Marumo Gallants midfielder Lfentswe Munyadziwa, ex-Uthongathi star Tshepo Benside and Freedom Nyundu, who has played for both Mbombela United and TS sporting in the past. The side is coached by Sydwell Phuravhathu.
Home Defenders were due to feature in the ABC Motsepe League national play-offs last season but were eventually barred for allegedly fielding an ineligible player.
Still, that shows the tremendous potential of the side and the team that took their place instead, Magesi FC, went on to win promotion. Home Defenders had beaten them 1-0 in the provincial play-off.
Reaching the Nedbank Cup Last 16 will be a huge consolation and a chance for Home Defenders to make their mark on a national scale.
They play their home league games at the New Trust High School Ground, though have taken on the Thohoyandou Stadium for their games in the Nedbank Cup.