Courage helped Highbury gain promotion, win ABC Motsepe League

Highbury are the toast of Eastern Cape football after the club gained promotion to the Motsepe Foundation Championship (former National First Division) in Upington on Friday.

After an arduous route through the trying structures of South African football, the Gqeberha side now find themselves a rung just below the DStv Premiership and they will have dreams and ambitions of reaching the top flight in the coming seasons.

On Sunday, Highbury crowned the promotion they achieved by winning the ABC Motsepe national playoffs final, beating Mpumalanga’s Kruger United 2-0 to win the title in Upington in Northern Cape.

Highbury's win was courtesy of a brace from Mzoxolo Rafani, who also won the top goal scorer of the tournament award with a total of three goals.

Fans and officials swamped the field after Highbury beat KwaZulu-Natal’s Njampela 2-1 in their semifinal at the Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs Stadium in Upington on Friday, courtesy of goals from Tsepo Cetywayo and Tlhalefang Batsi.

By reaching Sunday’s final, the Nelson Mandela University-based team became the latest Eastern Cape side to earn promotion to the national first division after Bizana Pondo Chiefs, who won the national playoffs and gained promotion in 2019-20. Pondo Chiefs were relegated two seasons back and another Eastern Cape side, Amavarara, lost out on a chance at promotion in 2023, missing booking a place in the semis by goal difference.

But the footballing gods smiled on the province on Friday.

And if the side continues the strong mentality they showed in what was a challenging week of ABC Motsepe League national playoffs, they will be able to hold their own in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, according to head coach Kabelo Sibiya. 

The Eastern Cape champions only arrived in Upington on Monday morning after a delayed regional final last Sunday. Unlike other provinces, they had to rush their preparations for their group opener on Tuesday against Mangaung United. But Highbury showed no signs of fatigue and unease on the big stage in their opener.

It was more of the same in their next encounters against Thames and Njampela. The more the pressure was ramped up, the more their confidence grew.

Sibiya, who coached the likes of Umvoti, TS Sporting and Venda Football Academy, in the Motsepe Foundation Championship, said their success could be attributed to the team’s mental fortitude. 

“It is all about planning, the players that we recruited, we specifically looked for players who are strong mentally. Most of our players are not from Port Elizabeth [Gqeberha], we have players from all the nine provinces.

It is critical the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality identifies itself with this team not only because it is local, but because it now has great potential to be promoted to the DStv Premiership and bring in much-needed revenue to the city.

—  EFF

“I’m sure we are the only team in the country at this level to have players from all the provinces. It shows the character of the players, who left their homes and families to go stay in another province.

“You see that character being transferred onto the field of play when it matters. If we have that type of player, with the same mentality, then they will be able to settle into the league [Motsepe Foundation Championship].”

Newly-appointed Eastern Cape sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Sibulele Ngongo sent congratulations to Highbury.

“This win affirms our commitment to both sport and football development in the province. The talent we have seen in Highbury makes us firm believers that the team is destined for greatness,” she said. 

The EFF also passed on their best wishes, saying the side needed municipal support.

“As the EFF, we celebrate the rise of Highbury and commend the hard work of the players and management. We will further engage with the municipality to invest in Highbury through a sponsorship deal as they have proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with,” the political party said in a statement.

“It is critical the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality identifies itself with this team not only because it is local, but because it now has great potential to be promoted to the DStv Premiership and bring in much-needed revenue to the city.”