Kruger United rise signals new era for football in Mpumalanga

The Village Boys wrapped up automatic promotion with two games to spare, following a convincing 3-1 win over Black Leopards that also sealed the Motsepe Foundation Championship title. 

Wati says, being based in Thulamahashe in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, the region has always produced quality players, but the difference now is having a structured team that can properly showcase and nurture that talent on a bigger stage. 

"For me, if you look at Bibo [Malatjie] and [Kgopotso] Zitha, it's a sign we've got something in Bushbuckridge, we've got something in Mpumalanga," said Wati.

"And the whole idea of Kruger, because we say that we've always had players, but there was no team where we were feeding to."

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The club’s rise has been rapid, reaching the professional ranks less than a year after being formed, and narrowly missed out on the playoffs by just three points last year. 

Wati says joining teams like TS Galaxy in the Premiership is a proud moment and he hopes it will inspire the growth of more professional clubs in Mpumalanga.

"You've seen TS Galaxy has done a lot, they've got local boys – there's a boy they just unveiled now from Kem, but we've always known that TS Galaxy would be a team that would come and we now have two teams in the province that we can feed to," he added.

With United's promotion confirmed, there are still four teams in the hunt for the two remaining playoff spots, with Milford FC currently second on 50 points, Hungry Lions in third with 48 points, Casric Stars in fourth with 46 points and Cape Town City in fifth with 45 points and one game in hand.