WeeklySA_AdminSTORM: STELLIES, BUCS GEAR UP FOR BIG GRUDGE DATE…
By Jo-Mangaliso Mdhlela
Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch will be locking horns again for the second time in as many months
On August 20 August the Buccaneers beat the Cape side by a single goal in a league clash and on 13 September the two go head-to-head for the prestigious MTN8 title at Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga. Presently, the Sea Robbers have a hold on the title – aiming for a fourth consecutive win. The duel is dubbed Wafa Wafa, with the competition’s winners pocketing R10 million while the other remaining seven participants each taking home R1 million.
For couple of days before and on the day of the Bucs-Stellies dust-up the usual war of words will ensue with scribes and fans on both sides of fence trying to make sense about possible victors.
The competition has a long history, with Pirates having won the inaugural cup in 1972 when it was called the BP Top 8P sponsored tournament. Since the tournament’s inauguration 52 years ago, the Buccaneers have won it on 13, beaten to the count by Kaizer Chiefs who have won it a record 15 times. The bigger question today is: Will Pirates close the gap – by winning it for the fourteenth time?
We do not know, only fate possesses a crystal ball to predict into the unknow future.
What can we say of the Stellenbosch entity? They are a baby, literally, to these things.
Stellies was established in 2016, coming into existence through an unusual route. Could this “strangeness” explain their meteoric rise to fame? Again, we do not know.
What we know is that the relocation of Vasco da Gama FC to Stellenbosch had a hand in all of this. The club is the first Premier Soccer League team from the Cape Winelands region. Three years later, in 2019, it was promoted to the South African Premiership in 2019.
There are still weeks to mull over what the outcome of this clash might look like but we cannot sign off without thinking that the encounter promises thrills, as it should.
Stellies were beaten by the same Pirates at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in the final last year. One writer aptly asked: “Will Stellenbosch have a shot at redemption?”
Without claiming that Pirates will win, we cannot conceivably deny that they Pirates may be driven by pride to keep intact what has been their treasured possession for the past four? Three? seasons.
That too, is not crystal clear.
