Letlhaku strike helps Sundowns move six points clear at top

Mamelodi Sundowns moved six points clear of defending champions Orlando Pirates at the top of the Betway Premiership after beating Siwelele 3-0 at Loftus Versfeld on Wednesday.

The result preserved Sundowns’ unbeaten start to the 2026/27 league campaign, with Miguel Cardoso’s side recording six wins and one draw from their opening seven matches.

It was not an easy evening for the leaders, however. Sundowns produced a subdued display in the first half and struggled to find their usual rhythm in the final third after Cardoso made several changes to his starting line-up.

Siyanda Ndlovu, Marcelo Allende and Tashreeq Matthews were among those left on the bench, although all three eventually came on and helped Sundowns raise the tempo after the interval.

The match also marked an emotional return for veteran defender Mothobi Mvala, who made his first appearance in almost 12 months. His previous outing had come on 24 September 2025, when he played against Golden Arrows.

Siwelele goalkeeper Wandile Mthombeni impressed on his debut and kept his side in contention for long periods. He was finally beaten shortly before the hour mark, when Kutlwano Letlhaku scored in his first start of the season.

Letlhaku’s opener came after a moment of individual quality from Teboho Mokoena. His long-range effort struck the crossbar and fell kindly for the young winger, who followed up to tap the ball into an empty net.

Sundowns might have extended their advantage earlier, but Siwelele continued to threaten the home side’s control of the game. A fine save from a free-kick by Aubrey Modiba, followed by another stop from close range to deny the in-form Cassius Mailula, kept the visitors within reach during the final 15 minutes.

Any prospect of a Siwelele comeback disappeared in the 80th minute when Ndlovu took advantage of a lapse in concentration in the visitors’ defence to score Sundowns’ second goal.

Matthews completed the victory in the second minute of added time. He reacted quickest to a loose ball before lifting a chip over the advancing Mthombeni to make it 3-0.

The defeat came in Godfrey Mosoetsa’s first match in charge of Siwelele following the midweek dismissals of Lehlohonolo Seema and Musa Bilankulu. Despite the scoreline, the performance gave the club some encouragement as it attempts to recover from a difficult start.

Siwelele remain 15th in the table, without a win and with two points from six matches. Sundowns, meanwhile, strengthened their position at the summit and opened a six-point gap over Orlando Pirates.