Top Eight Still Out of Reach for Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch needed three points. They came to Chatsworth, played for 90 minutes, and left with none.
0-0. Third consecutive league game without a win for Stellies. The top eight was within touching distance coming into Friday. After it, that gap looks wider than it did before kick-off.
Durban City did not win either. They sit seventh on 38 points, three games left. Their season is largely settled. Stellenbosch are tenth on 32. That gap is too large now. The maths have moved against them.
Lwamba Was Close. Not Close Enough.
Jean Lwamba has been Durban City’s standout performer of the last month. Six goals in four matches. The most in-form striker in the PSL right now.
He went close in the first half. Got the ball outside the area, turned Olisah Ndah, and unleashed a shot. Sage Stephens smothered it. Good save. Lucky timing. Had Lwamba connected a yard cleaner it would have gone in.
Durban City on the front foot, Lwamba pulling the strings. The Chatsworth crowd wanted a goal. Did not get one.
Stellenbosch Were Threatening at Half-Time
Stellenbosch improved as the first 45 minutes wore on. They were passive early but grew into the game once they started moving the ball quicker.
The best chance came right on the stroke of half-time. A corner from the right, delivery into the box, and Ndah was right there in the six-yard area. He fired wide. Should have done better. The kind of chance that decides games when it goes in and gets forgotten when it does not.
0-0 at the break. Both teams had done enough to deserve something. Neither quite converted.
Missing Players Hurt Both Sides
Durban City were without Kyle Jurgens. He is on loan from Stellenbosch and cannot face his parent club. He helped them win the Nedbank Cup final against TS Galaxy on May 2. Durban City are cup winners this season. He was part of that. Friday he watched from the stands.
Stellenbosch were without Omega Mdaka. Suspended after picking up a yellow card in the 2-0 defeat to Orlando Pirates on Tuesday. He made his 50th appearance for the club in that match, becoming the seventh youngest player in the club’s history to reach that milestone. Could not play in this one.
Gavin Hunt made his 20th match as Stellenbosch head coach on Friday. He took over in December. Twenty games in and the task is clear. Stellenbosch are not where they want to be in the table.
Liam De Kock. Former Club. First Meeting.
Liam De Kock joined Durban City from Stellenbosch at the start of the season. Friday was his first time facing his old teammates.
He was an unused substitute in the earlier meeting between the two clubs at Danie Craven Stadium. That game also ended 0-0. Second meeting. Same result. Both times goalless.
De Kock did not make the difference Friday but his presence in the Durban City squad adds a layer to a rivalry that is still only in its second chapter. These two sides have now met twice in all competitions and produced no goals in either encounter.
Langelihle Phili Stays on Nine
Phili came in needing one goal to reach double figures for the season. He would have become only the fourth player in Stellenbosch’s history to score 10 or more goals in a single campaign.
He did not get there on Friday. The record stays open for two more games.
It was that kind of night for Stellenbosch. Close to things but not quite getting them. The top eight. Phili’s milestone. Three points. All stayed just out of reach at Chatsworth.
Three Games Left. Very Little to Play For.
Durban City finish a decent season regardless of what happens now. The Nedbank Cup is theirs. First piece of major silverware in the club’s history. That matters more than seventh or eighth in the league.
Stellenbosch play Orbit College, then wait for the final round. Without a strong finish they end up tenth. For a club that has been pushing upward in recent years under various managers, tenth is not where they want to be.
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Durban City 0-0 Stellenbosch FC Betway Premiership Round 28 | Friday, 8 May 2026 | Chatsworth Stadium, Durban
Goals: None Key absences: Kyle Jurgens (Durban City, ineligible vs parent club) | Omega Mdaka (Stellenbosch, suspended)
Durban City XI: Asare | Jalai, Ncanana, Mkhize, Mashego | Nodada, Poggenpoel | Maseko, Mokwena, Sifumba | Lwamba
Stellenbosch XI: Stephens | Butsaka, Ndah, Lebusa, Mdaka | Mokobodi, Mthiyane | Palace, Phili, Titus | (confirmed starters)
Notable: Genino Palace 100th club appearance this week | Vuyolwethu Andrieas debuted vs Pirates | Liam De Kock first match vs former club HT: 0-0 | FT: 0-0 Table: Durban City 7th (38 pts, 28 played) | Stellenbosch 10th (32 pts, 28 played)
