Polokwane City

Old Peter Mokaba Stadium holds 41,733 people, more than Polokwane City ever draws on its own — the ground was built for the 2010 World Cup and shared since with rugby and other tenants, a scale the club has grown into rather than filled. Orange, black and white shirts move through a stadium that carries the name of the anti-apartheid and ANC Youth League leader from Limpopo, the province Polokwane City calls home.

The club itself did not begin in this city. It traces back to Maritzburg United, then to Bay United in Port Elizabeth, before the move north to Polokwane in 2011 and the rebrand under its current name on 1 August 2012. The nickname Rise and Shine stuck with the new identity; an older one, Watsh'Umlilo — "the fire" — survived the journey from Bay United.

Promotion has come twice through the same route: winning the National First Division, first in the club's debut season of 2012–13, then again in 2022–23. Between those two climbs sat the club's best top-flight campaign, sixth place in the Premier Soccer League in 2016–17. Luc Eymael took charge in 2016 and stayed two seasons; before him, Costa Papić had the job from 2014 to 2015. Oswin Appollis came through the ranks to make 68 appearances and score 13 goals before his move to Orlando Pirates, while defender Tebogo Mothulwe has held down a place since 2021 and earned senior international recognition along the way.

Phuti Mohafe now has the team in the Premier Soccer League, with the MTN 8 offering the clearest marker of recent progress — quarter-final finishes in 2025 and 2026, back to back.