SAFA ruling opens door for Cape Town City potential topflight return
28th July 2025
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SABC Sport can reveal that Cape Town City have been thrown an unprecedented lifeline by the SAFA arbitration in their bid to return to the Betway Premiership.
The public broadcaster has seen the SAFA arbitration ruling in favour of City, whose case has been referred to the Premier Soccer League’s Disciplinary Committee (DC), which – should it go their way – could see them reinstated.
City appealed an earlier PSL Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) award, maintaining that Marumo Gallants used midfielder Monde Mpambaniso without the player's clearance certificate being issued to the League ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Mpambaniso, who featured either in the starting line-up or on the substitutes bench in 26 games, had previously been with Marumo Gallants but his re-registration was botched after the club's original National First Division status was sold to Leruma United last year as they in turn purchased Moroka Swallows' topflight status.
The Citizens, who were recently relegated to the Motsepe Foundation Championship via the play-offs, have contended that Gallants breached Rule 31.8.9.3 of the NSL Handbook, which specifies the registration process of players who were previously registered with a different club.
SAFA Arbitrator Nazeer Cassim SC subsequently ruled in their favour and ordered that the PSL DC must now investigate the merits of the case involving Gallants and Mpambaniso, which the DRC had originally erred in.
In an unprecedented move, that comes just days before the kick-off of the MTN8 and Betway Premiership competitions next month, this could throw a spanner in the works should the outcome of the DC also favour City.
Gallants could be docked points from all the games Mpambaniso was named in the starting line-up or the bench, which would see them finish below Cape Town City on the final standings.
The PSL, led by prosecutor Zola Majavu, must now acknowledge the SAFA ruling and begin the investigation into player ineligibility, which Cassim found that he could not rule on as a specific sanction due to jurisdiction.
The registration issue also stemmed from an administration blunder by Gallants, with Cassim stating that, "Gallants was represented before and I expressed misgivings about the competence of the official who completed the registration form on behalf of the player.
"A degree of competence would have made it clear that the player seeks to be registered for Marumo Gallants Football Club in the PSL and that he was last registered for Marumo Gallants Football Club in the NFD, which became Leruma Football Club FC on 30 June 2024.
"A little effort would have clarified these features of the registration form. But fundamentally flawed is the fact that no clearance certificate was issued to the League."
It remains to be seen how expeditiously the League responds to this award by the SAFA Arbitrator, and what the exact sanction will be for Bahlabane Ba Ntwa – and whether City will benefit from this.
