African By Choice (ABC) Football Club and Phinnet City have secured promotion to the Limpopo ABC Motsepe League after finishing as the top two teams at the SAFA Limpopo Inter-Regional Playoffs in Malamulele.
For ABC FC, promotion marks the culmination of a remarkable season that saw the Lions of the North dominate football in the Vhembe region before proving their credentials against the best regional champions in the province.
The club first swept aside the competition in the SAFA Vhembe Men’s Regional League Stream I, finishing unbeaten with an outstanding 124 points after winning 40 of their 44 league matches and drawing the remaining four.
Their only defeat of the entire season came in the SAFA Vhembe Champ of Champs group stages against Mahagala Young Stars, a result that proved to be little more than a minor setback as they recovered to lift the regional title and qualify for the provincial playoffs.
At the Inter-Regional Playoffs, ABC FC continued their impressive run by opening their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Hlahla Northern Bucs of the Mopani region. They followed that up with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Mokganyaka Mighty Blues from Sekhukhune to finish the opening day with four points.
The Vhembe champions returned on the second day in commanding fashion, defeating Phinnet City, the Capricorn region representatives, 3-0 before edging Sunrise Lite of the Waterberg region 3-2 to seal promotion.
ABC FC completed the playoffs unbeaten, collecting 10 points from four matches, scoring 10 goals, conceding four, and finishing with a +6 goal difference to top the standings.
Second place went to Phinnet City, who also secured promotion after accumulating nine points from their four matches. Despite suffering a heavy defeat to ABC FC, the Capricorn champions recovered to finish second and book their place in next season’s Limpopo ABC Motsepe League.
Before the provincial playoffs, experienced ABC FC Defender, Nndwakhuli Ernot Dzaga had confidently predicted exactly how the season would end.
“From the beginning of the season, we knew our boss said this was his last season after giving the club three seasons to achieve promotion to the ABC Motsepe League. We told ourselves that we’re not coming back to this league.”
Looking ahead to the provincial playoffs, Dzaga insisted the team would not simply be making up the numbers.
“Where we’re going next, we’re not going there to add numbers—we’re going there to attain promotion to the ABC Motsepe League.”
He also paid tribute to chairman Lucas Tshibalo and his family’s commitment to the club.
“A very scary team is being assembled because we’ll do anything to support our chairman for as long as he and his family continue supporting us. We’re going, and we’re not coming back to this league.”
Those words have now become a prophecy fulfilled.
ABC FC’s promotion also strengthens Vhembe’s presence in the Limpopo ABC Motsepe League. The Lions of the North will join fellow Vhembe clubs Vondwe XI Bullets, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, Mukondeni Young Chiefs, Musina United, reigning Limpopo champions Mpheni Defenders, as well as Black Leopards, who were relegated from the Motsepe Foundation Championship.
With just one defeat across the entire campaign, from league football to the Vhembe Champ of Champs and the provincial playoffs, ABC FC have completed one of the most dominant promotion campaigns in recent Limpopo football history. Alongside fellow Phinnet City, they will now turn their attention to the challenges of the 2026/27 Limpopo ABC Motsepe League season.
Images By: Malabi, Lihno Snap