THOHOYANDOU – Black Leopards lost 2-3 to Ajax Cape Town in their crucial Castle Premiership League match that was played at the Thohoyandou Stadium last Saturday, but they will still participate in the SAA Supa 8 KO competition next season. Leopards must thank Hellenic, for beating the other contenders, Lamontville Golden Arrows 4-1, last weekend.

Black Leopards would have been out of the prestigious competition had Hellenic and Arrows shared the spoils. Leopards had finished their league programme with 37 points with Arrows behind them with 36 points. Sundowns Football Club failed to book a place in the SAA Supa 8 KO competition for two successive seasons.

Just like Black Leopards and Golden Arrows, Sundowns completed their league programme last weekend. They beat Jomo Cosmos 1-0 at the Rand Stadium on Sunday. The victory leaves them with 36 points, two behind Leopards and one below Golden Arrows.

Highlandspark Silver Stars, who were languishing somewhere in the relegation zone at the beginning of the season, are now safe. They have 30 points and a match in hand. The fight for survival is among Dynamos, Hellenic and Zulu Royals.

Royals and Hellenic have 22 points each, while Dynamos are two points above them. They will all play their last and deciding matches on Sunday. Dynamos' chances of escaping the chop are slim, despite the fact that they are two points above Hellenic and Royals. They need nothing less than a win in order to be on the safe side. Should they play to a draw with Silver Stars on Sunday and either Hellenic or Royals win, the Giyani outfit will be out of the paying division by virtue of goal difference.