Former Betway Premiership strikers Therlo Moosa, Bethuel Muzeu, and Jaedin Rhodes are among attackers tussling for the Motsepe Foundation Championship Golden Boot accolade this season.
The 2025/26 NFD campaign is reaching the business end, with teams playing matches of consequence both in the title race and the gruelling relegation battle.
In the hunt for the league title and automatic promotion to the Premiership, Kruger United, Milford FC, Cape Town City FC, Hungry Lions FC, and Casric Stars make up a top five staging a real push for the summit.
Kruger United currently sit at the top of the table with 40 points, holding a three-point advantage over second-placed Milford, who have accumulated 37 points from 21 matches.
The Mpumalanga-based side gave their title ambitions a massive boost this past weekend by defeating title rivals Milford 1-0, setting the stage for an exciting final nine games of the campaign.
In the relegation dogfight, former top-flight sides Baroka FC and Black Leopards are battling to save their status in the second tier. The two Limpopo-based outfits have endured a dismal run, leaving them rooted in 16th and 15th positions respectively.
BETHUEL MUZEU: A CONSISTENT GOAL SCORER IN THE PAST FEW SEASONS
Black Leopards currently sit at the basement of the log after collecting just 16 points from 20 matches, while Baroka FC are positioned just above them with 18 points. Meanwhile, Midlands Wanderers FC, The Bees, and Gomora United remain firmly in the mix of teams fighting to avoid relegation to the ABC Motsepe League at the end of the campaign.
The fierce competition at the bottom is mirrored in the race for individual accolades, with the league’s top marksmen locked in a tight battle for the Golden Boot. As it stands, Ntuthuko Mlotshwa and Bethuel Muzeu are leading the charts on eight goals apiece, alongside surging Cape Town City forward, Therlo Moosa.
Muzeu has established himself as one of the most consistent scorers in the Motsepe Foundation Championship over recent seasons. After reaching double digits last term—in a race eventually won by Muzomuhle Khanyi with 18 goals—the Leopards man is once again at the forefront of the scoring charts.
Hot on their heels is a chasing pack consisting of Kruger United striker Khethukuthula Ndlovu, Rian Petersen of Hungry Lions FC, and Jaedin Rhodes, all of whom sit on seven goals. Rounding out the top contenders are Ronaldo Van Neel [Lions] and Upington City FC’s Rowan Visagie, who have both found the net six times this season.
As such the race for the Golden Boot remains wide open with only nine games remaining in the second-tier campaign. And stakes couldn’t be higher, with players’ individual accolades tied to their clubs’ frantic chase for the promotion to the Betway Premiership—or their survival at the bottom of the log.
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