24.09.2015 20:48 h

Wits top unfamiliar South African standings

The top of the South African Premiership table has an unfamiliar look after five rounds with Wits, Platinum Stars, Mpumalanga Black Aces and Bloemfontein Celtic occupying the top four places.

A quartet that cannot boast of a single title between them were all midweek winners in the richest African national football championship with a 10 million rand ($720,000, 640,000 euros) first prize.

But big-name clubs Kaizer Chiefs, the title-holders, and Orlando Pirates were held, placing them fifth and 10th respectively on the 16-club standings.

Record six-time champions Mamelodi Sundowns snatched a dramatic victory and climbed to seventh, while easing pressure on coach Pitso Mosimane.

Wits have 12 points, Platinum and Aces 11, Celtic 10, Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town nine, and Sundowns and Golden Arrows seven.

Maritzburg United changed coaches after four league games, but there was no change in fortunes as they suffered a fourth straight loss to remain bottom with a solitary point.

Unfashionable Johannesburg club Wits overcame the red-carding of recently retired Namibia striker Henrico Botes to win 1-0 against visiting SuperSport United.

Jabulani Shongwe, called up by South Africa for October friendlies in Costa Rica and Honduras, scored the winner close to half-time at the 5,000-capacity Milpark Stadium.

It was the second success this season for sharp-talking Wits coach Gavin Hunt over the club he guided to a Premiership title hat-trick, after an MTN 8 Cup win last month.

Platinum, whose impressive training complex was used by England during the 2010 World Cup, are putting seasons of league underachievement behind them with a good start.

The club from north-west mining town Rustenburg made it three wins in a row by defeating traditional poor travellers Chippa United 3-2 at Moruleng Stadium.

Aces continued an unexpected unbeaten start by coming from behind to succeed 2-1 at promoted Arrows with veteran Zambia striker Collins Mbesuma bagging a brace in Indian Ocean city Durban.

Burly Uganda and Celtic attacker Geoffrey Massa opened his scoring account for the season with the goal that beat defensively-strong Jomo Cosmos 1-0 in central city Bloemfontein.

Bernard Parker gave Chiefs a first-half lead over struggling Pretoria University only for Tebogo Monyai to poke an equaliser with 19 minutes left at Soccer City stadium in Soweto.

A 0-0 draw for Pirates at Polokwane City came at a high price as captain and midfielder Oupa Manyisa fractured an ankle.

Liberian Anthony Laffor grabbed a 3-2 stoppage-time win for Sundowns over Ajax near Pretoria, slamming a weak clearance past Finnish goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola.

Belgian Andrea Fileccia was among the scorers as Free State Stars continued a climb away from the relegation zone by winning 3-2 at Maritzburg.

Highlight of the weekend schedule is a clash between Ajax and Chiefs, who want to avenge a 1-0 loss to the Cape Town outfit last Saturday in the MTN 8 Cup final.