Only one member of the starting XI that delivered Orlando Pirates’ last league title in 2012 is still playing professional football. That man is left-back Thabo Matlaba, who lined up alongside a side captained by Lucky Lekgwathi and featuring the likes of Benni McCarthy, Andile Jali, and Moeneeb Josephs. On the final day of that season, the Buccaneers defeated Lamontville Golden Arrows 4-2, with McCarthy scoring a brace, to complete a historic treble-winning campaign. Since that triumph, Orlando Pirates have endured a painful 14-year league drought, watching Mamelodi Sundowns dominate the domestic scene while the Soweto giants were forced to wait for another chance at glory.
The drought has been especially difficult to reconcile given the club’s recent success in cup competitions. Between 2014 and 2020, Pirates suffered a barren trophy spell, but they have since reinvented themselves as South Africa’s undisputed “Cup Kings,” collecting eight trophies over the past six seasons and potentially adding a ninth before the current campaign concludes. Yet the league title has remained elusive, despite several close calls. Now, however, the Buccaneers stand on the verge of breaking that cycle. Should Jose Riveiro’s side defeat Durban City this weekend, they will be crowned Betway Premiership champions, capitalizing on a dramatic late-season collapse by Sundowns, who dropped points against Stellenbosch, Richards Bay, Kaizer Chiefs, and TS Galaxy in recent weeks.
With only two matches remaining, victory in either fixture would be enough to secure the title for Pirates. Just a fortnight ago, the race seemed all but over in favor of Masandawana, but a series of unexpected draws and a defeat have handed the Sea Robbers a golden opportunity. The ghosts of 2012—when McCarthy, Lekgwathi, and Jali delivered the club’s last league crown—are