The much-maligned ABC Motsepe League Playoffs final between The Bees and Gomora United went ahead at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville on Sunday despite the Makhanda high court ordering the day before against it taking place.
The ABC Motsepe League wrangle hit the Eastern Cape high court on Saturday, with the judge ordering the national playoffs to be stopped halfway pending a full court sitting on July 22.
The ordered suspension happened after Bizana team Sinenkani approached the court on Thursday to challenge Safa’s decision to disqualify the Eastern Cape and Limpopo regions.
Sinenkani were joined by Kakamas Juventus (Northern Cape); and Ravens (Eastern Cape) in fighting Safa’s decision.
In a letter dated July 1, Safa acting CEO Tebogo Montlante said the exclusion of the Eastern Cape and Limpopo was based on pending legal disputes affecting the two provinces.
But Sinenkani argued that they did not know about any pending dispute because the matter between them and Safa Eastern Cape had been finalised on June 30 by the Eastern Cape high court and they were awaiting the fixture from Safa.
On Saturday morning, judge Thembekile Malusi heard their application on the matter.
In the afternoon, Malusi handed down his ruling, stipulating that the first semifinal national playoffs fixture played on Saturday between Thames (North West) and The Bees (Mpumalanga) was to continue, but the result would be subject to the outcome of a review
“Further, the fixtures from July 2 2025 to date of the Safa national play-off are also subject to the outcome of the main review.
“It is ordered that the Safa national play-off fixtures scheduled on July 5 and those on July 6, or any, shall be stayed pending the finalisation,” the court said.
Bees won the first semifinal.
Despite the court stating that no further matches must be played after the Thames and Bees game, the second semifinal proceeded between Gomora United from Gauteng and Midlands from KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
Then on Sunday afternoon Bees and Gomora United played the final in Atteridgeville. It remains unclear if this was in contempt of court.
The court further dismissed Safa’s legal representatives’ argument that the Eastern Cape court had no jurisdiction to hear the application to challenge Safa’s decision to exclude the Eastern Cape and Limpopo from the national playoffs.
Daily Dispatch
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