# 2016–17 South African Premiership

The 2016–17 South African Premiership season (known as the ABSA Premiership for sponsorship reasons) is the 21st season of the Premiership since its establishment in 1996.
Mamelodi Sundowns were the defending champions, having won the previous 2015–16 South African Premier Division (PSL) season. The season featured 14 teams from the 2015–16 season and two new teams promoted from the 2015–16 National First Division: Baroka and Highlands Park who replace relegated Jomo Cosmos and University of Pretoria. Highlands Park promotion was won via the PSL Playoff Tournament. Cape Town City bought over the franchise of Mpumalanga Black Aces and relocated from Mbombela Stadium to Cape Town Stadium. The sale of Free State Stars franchise to Moroka Swallows fell through.

## Teams
### Stadiums and locations

Football teams in South Africa tend to use multiple stadiums over the course of a season for their home games. The following table will only indicate the stadium used most often by the club for their home games.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Ajax Cape Town | Cape Town | Cape Town Stadium | 55,000 |
| Baroka | Polokwane | Peter Mokaba Stadium | 45,500 |
| Bidvest Wits | Johannesburg | Bidvest Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | Bloemfontein | Dr Petrus Molemela Stadium | 22,000 |
| Cape Town City | Cape Town | Cape Town Stadium | 55,000 |
| Chippa United | Port Elizabeth | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium | 46,000 |
| Free State Stars | Phuthaditjhaba | Charles Mopeli Stadium | 35,000 |
| Highlands Park | Tembisa | Makhulong Stadium | 10,000 |
| Lamontville Golden Arrows | Durban | Princess Magogo Stadium | 12,000 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | Soweto | FNB Stadium (Soccer City) | 94,736 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | Pretoria | Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium | 28,900 |
| Maritzburg United | Pietermaritzburg | Harry Gwala Stadium | 12,000 |
| Orlando Pirates | Soweto | Orlando Stadium | 40,000 |
| Platinum Stars | Phokeng | Royal Bafokeng Stadium | 44,530 |
| Polokwane City | Polokwane | Peter Mokaba Stadium | 45,500 |
| SuperSport United | Pretoria | Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium | 28,900 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Ajax Cape Town | Stanley Menzo | Adidas | Huawei |
| Baroka | Kgoloko Thobejane | Umbro | Clover |
| BV Wits | Gavin Hunt | Kappa | Bidvest |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | Vacant | Kappa | MTN |
| Cape Town City | Eric Tinkler | Umbro | Vacant |
| Chippa United | Dan Masilela | Canterbury | Chippa Holdings |
| Free State Stars | Denis Lavagne | Umbro | Bonitas |
| Highlands Park | Gordon Igesund | Kappa | Highfield Motor Group |
| Golden Arrows | Clinton Larsen | Millé | Vacant |
| Kaizer Chiefs | Steve Komphela | Nike | Vodacom |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | Pitso Mosimane | Puma | Ubuntu Botho |
| Maritzburg United | Ernst Middendorp | Puma | Vacant |
| Orlando Pirates | Kjell Jonevret | Adidas | Vodacom |
| Platinum Stars | Cavin Johnson | Acelli | The Royal Marang Hotel |
| Polokwane City | Luc Eymael | XCO | Vacant |
| SuperSport United | Stuart Baxter | Kappa | Engen |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Free State Stars | Denis Lavagne | Sacked | 22 September 2016 | 16 | | |

## League table
### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Bidvest Wits | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 47 | 22 | +25 | 60 | Qualification for 2018 CAF Champions League |
| 2 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 30 | 16 | 9 | 5 | 52 | 20 | +32 | 57 | Qualification for 2018 CAF Champions League |
| 3 | Cape Town City | 30 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 55 | Qualification for 2018 CAF Confederation Cup |
| 4 | Kaizer Chiefs | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 39 | 28 | +11 | 50 | |
| 5 | SuperSport United | 30 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 48 | |
| 6 | Polokwane City | 30 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 36 | 34 | +2 | 43 | |
| 7 | Maritzburg United | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 38 | |
| 8 | Golden Arrows | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 32 | 44 | −12 | 38 | |
| 9 | Platinum Stars | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 33 | 32 | +1 | 37 | |
| 10 | Ajax Cape Town | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 36 | |
| 11 | Orlando Pirates | 30 | 6 | 15 | 9 | 29 | 40 | −11 | 33 | |
| 12 | Bloemfontein Celtic | 30 | 5 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 28 | −12 | 29 | |
| 13 | Chippa United | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 28 | |
| 14 | Free State Stars | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 26 | 37 | −11 | 28 | |
| 15 | Baroka | 30 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 26 | 43 | −17 | 28 | Qualification for Premiership Playoff Tournament |
| 16 | Highlands Park | 30 | 5 | 12 | 13 | 26 | 44 | −18 | 27 | Relegation to 2017–18 National First Division |

### Positions by round

* Leader
* 2017 CAF Champions League or 2017 CAF Confederation Cup
* Relegation to National First Division or Playoff Tournament
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| Bidvest Wits | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 9 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cape Town City | 2 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| SuperSport United | 13 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | 11 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Polokwane City | 16 | 16 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Maritzburg United | 5 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Ajax Cape Town | 7 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Golden Arrows | 15 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Platinum Stars | 5 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Orlando Pirates | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Chippa United | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| Free State Stars | 11 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 |
| Highlands Park | 9 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 15 |
| Baroka | 7 | 10 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 |

### Results

| Home \ Away | AJX | BRK | BVW | BLC | CTC | CHU | FSS | GOL | HPK | KZC | MLS | MAR | ORL | PLA | PLK | SUP |
| Ajax Cape Town | | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Baroka | 1–1 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Bidvest Wits | 5–0 | 5–0 | | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Bloemfontein Celtic | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Cape Town City | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Chippa United | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Free State Stars | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Golden Arrows | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 |
| Highlands Park | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Kaizer Chiefs | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Mamelodi Sundowns | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | | 2–2 | 6–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 5–0 |
| Maritzburg United | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Orlando Pirates | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Platinum Stars | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 2–3 | 1–0 |
| Polokwane City | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 2–3 |
| SuperSport United | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 6–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | |

## Season statistics
### Scoring
#### Top scorers

    As of 13 May 2017
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Lebogang Manyama | Cape Town City | 13 |
| 2 | Tendai Ndoro | Orlando Pirates | 12 |
| 3 | Gabadinho Mhango | BV Wits | 9 |
| 3 | Rodney Ramagalela | Polokwane | 9 |
| 5 | Khama Billiat | Mamelodi | 8 |
| 5 | Jeremy Brockie | SuperSport Utd | 8 |
| 7 | Thuso Phala | SuperSport Utd | 7 |
| 7 | Percy Tau | Mamelodi | 7 |
| 7 | Siphiwe Tshabalala | Kaizer Chiefs | 7 |
| 7 | Themba Zwane | Mamelodi | 7 |

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Tendai Ndoro | Orlando Pirates | Golden Arrows | 3–1 | 24 August 2016 |
| Bhongolwethu Jayiya | Cape Town City | Chippa United | 4–1 | 3 April 2017 |

## Attendances

| # | Football club | Average attendance |
| 1 | Kaizer Chiefs | 13,686 |
| 2 | Orlando Pirates | 10,533 |
| 3 | Mamelodi Sundowns | 7,600 |
| 4 | Chippa United | 7,276 |
| 5 | Bloemfontein Celtic | 6,266 |
| 6 | Ajax Cape Town | 5,220 |
| 7 | Maritzburg United | 4,443 |
| 8 | Cape Town City | 4,380 |
| 9 | Baroka | 4,190 |
| 10 | SuperSport United | 3,166 |
| 11 | Free State Stars | 3,098 |
| 12 | Highlands Park | 2,913 |
| 13 | Golden Arrows | 2,702 |
| 14 | Polokwane City | 2,280 |
| 15 | Bidvest Wits | 1,873 |
| 16 | Platinum Stars | 1,614 |