Gordon Igesund holds aloft the Premiership after winning the championship with Manning Rangers in 1997.
Image: BackpagePix
South Africa’s top division, then known as the Castle Premiership, kicked off for the very first time in August 1996.
Looking back at the teams in the league during that 1996/97 season brings a sense of nostalgia and a bit of sadness. QwaQwa Stars, who had the great John Tlale in goal, opened their campaign against Bloemfontein Celtic and won 1-0.
Neither club exists today.
In the Western Cape, Cape Town Spurs and Hellenic played to a goalless draw. Both teams exist only in name today and are no longer the powerhouses they once were.
Interestingly, the inaugural season of the South African Premiership was the only one to feature two teams from the Eastern Cape – Michau Warriors from Gqeberha and Umtata Bucks from Mthatha – and they faced each other on the opening weekend.
While Bush Bucks still exist today, they are very different to the club that played back then and currently find themselves outside the professional ranks. Warriors, owned by controversial businessman Michau Huiseman, were dissolved in 1998.
IOL Sport looks at all 18 clubs that took part in the inaugural Castle Premiership season.
Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, along with Kaizer Chiefs and AmaZulu are the only four clubs in the Betway Premiership that were involved in the inaugural 1996/97 season.
Image: BackpagePix
Kaizer Chiefs – Amakhosi are arguably the biggest brand in South African sport and have won four league titles over the past 29 years. Along with Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, they are one of only three clubs whose PSL status will never be sold to another club.
Orlando Pirates – Like Chiefs, Ezimnyama ngenkani are huge and have won four league titles.
Mamelodi Sundowns – The Brazilians have been the most successful club in the PSL era, winning an incredible 15 league titles. They have claimed eight consecutive titles and are being pushed by Pirates as they chase a ninth in a row.
AmaZulu – AmaZulu have been a yo-yo club over the past 30 years, floating between the top flight and the second tier. Their last two returns to the Premiership came via the purchase of another club’s status.
Jomo Cosmos – Ezenkosi, owned by the legendary Jomo Sono, play in the Gauteng ABC Motsepe League, the third tier of South African football. They were last in the top flight in 2015/16.
Umtata Bucks – Bush Bucks are currently based in East London and ply their trade in the ABC Motsepe League. They were last in the top flight in 2005/06.
Hellenic – The Greek Gods finished fifth in the first season and were one of the Western Cape’s better-run clubs. After relegation in 2003/04, they never returned to the top flight. They attempted a comeback in 2015 but sold their status in 2016 to focus on youth development. Today, they operate as a youth academy.
Cape Town Spurs – The Cape Town Spurs of today are not the same club that played in 1996. That club merged with Seven Stars to become Ajax Cape Town, linked to Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam. After the big Ajax took their toys and went home in 2020, the club reverted to the Cape Town Spurs name. They were promoted for the 2023/24 season but were immediately relegated, and after another relegation the following season, they now find themselves in amateur football.
Cape Town Spurs briefly returned to the Betway Premiership in 2023/24, but were immediately relegated.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
Manning Rangers – Gordon Igesund’s Mighty Maulers shocked everyone by winning the inaugural PSL title. They remain one of only two teams outside Gauteng to win the league. After relegation in 2004/05, they were bought and renamed Fidentia Rangers in 2006. When the company collapsed in 2007, the club was dissolved. They were reformed as an amateur club in 2023.
Bloemfontein Celtic – Siwelele FC are not the real Siwelele. That message was made clear before the current season following the sale and renaming of SuperSport United. The original Bloemfontein Celtic are now in the amateur ranks and are attempting to make their way back to the top flight.
Vaal Professionals – In the 1980s, Vaal Professionals were the kings of South African football, winning three consecutive NPSL titles in 1986, 1987 and 1988. By 1996, they were founder members of the Castle Premiership. They were relegated in 1998/99 and have not returned. They were last seen in the ABC Motsepe League in 2022.
SuperSport United won three consecutive league titles under Gavin Hunt between 2008 and 2010. The club no longer exist.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers
SuperSport United – Between 2008 and 2010, Matsatsantsa a Pitori were the undisputed kings of South African football, winning three consecutive league titles under the legendary Gavin Hunt. Until 2025, they were one of the more stable and well-run clubs in the league. Last year, their status was bought by Gayton McKenzie’s son and the club was renamed Siwelele FC in a bid to revive Bloemfontein Celtic.
Moroka Swallows – This one is complicated. The club was first relegated in 2015 and then dropped into the amateur ranks the following year. They made a brief return in 2020, but after financial issues in 2024, they sold their status to Marumo Gallants. Swallows are now attempting to reclaim their status after Gallants missed payments.
Wits University – Three years after winning the league, the club went out of existence. Despite spending a year in the second tier after relegation in 2005, Bidvest Wits returned to the Premiership in 2007. Between 2013 and 2017, their lowest league finish was fourth. After finishing fourth again in 2019/20, they sold their status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila.
QwaQwa Stars – Named after the former homeland of QwaQwa, the club later became Free State Stars and were consistent mid-table performers. In 2002, the PSL bought them out – along with Ria Stars – as the league reduced from 18 to 16 teams. They returned to the top flight in 2006 and remained competitive until relegation in 2019. In 2023, while in the NFD, they sold their status to Casric Stars.
Real Rovers – Despite featuring players such as Alex Bapela, Andries Sebola, Lucky Lekgwathi, Mandla Mabena and Gerald Raphahela, the club was relegated after the second season. Very little is known about them after their exit from the top flight.
Witbank Aces – Witbank Aces finished bottom in the inaugural season and were relegated. They later returned as Mpumalanga Black Aces in 2009/10, were relegated again in 2010/11, and came back in 2013. After finishing fourth in 2015/16, they sold their status to Cape Town City.
Michau Warriors – The Gqeberha side lasted just two seasons. As founder members of the PSL, they were relegated after finishing second from bottom. The following season, the club was dissolved after owner Michau Huiseman was arrested in the UK for drug smuggling.
Of the 18 clubs that kicked off the PSL era in 1996, just four still compete in today’s top-flight. Seven are gone entirely. Others survive only in the amateur ranks, as academies, or as versions of themselves that barely resemble the original institutions.
The Castle Premiership promised a new era of stability and professionalism. Nearly three decades later, the league is bigger, richer and more commercially polished – but the fate of its founding members tells a different story. In South African football, survival is never guaranteed, and history alone is not enough to keep a club alive.
IOL Sport