Here are the talking points from the fixtures.
Chiefs need to be more clinical
Kaizer Chiefs will seek to put the disappointment of their MTN8 quarter-final exit behind them when they host Sekhukhune United on Wednesday, looking to maintain their 100 percent start to the new league campaign.
Chiefs had 21 shots at goal, three big chances and an xG of 1.39 against Lamontville Golden Arrows in their cup clash on Sunday, but were not clinical enough in front of goal and lost 1-0.
The good news is they are creating chances; the bad news is they look rusty in the final third and that is something they need to fix quickly.
Sekhukhune have started the season with back-to-back wins under new coach Cedric Kaze and will be a handful for Chiefs.
They have a decent record in Soweto too, winning two of their five previous visits (L3), while the overall head-to-head favours Amakhosi 5-3, with two draws. Sekhukhune won 3-1 on their last visit in September 2025.
Dominant Pirates
Champions Orlando Pirates head to AmaZulu having also yet to hit full gear in the new season, though they have started with a pair of wins in league and cup.
This will be their first away test, though Durban is usually a happy hunting ground, with Pirates enjoying huge support in KwaZulu-Natal.
They have, in fact, not lost away to Usuthu since 2009, a run of 16 matches (W7 D9), though draws have been the most prevalent result in that time.
They claimed home and away wins last season and have been victorious in five of their last six games against AmaZulu (D1), last tasting defeat with a home loss in 2013.
It is about as dominant as they have been against any opponent and they will hope to use their firepower to pick holes in an AmaZulu defence that shipped four goals against Sekhukhune in the MTN8 at the weekend.
Coach Arthur Zwane’s side have also battled at home of late, with two wins from their last 10 clashes (D3 L5) in front of their own fans.
Sundowns’ bogey side
Mamelodi Sundowns showed their class in the end to beat Polokwane City in the MTN8 at the weekend, with a trademark Teboho Mokoena strike followed by goals from Antonio Van Wyk on debut and the returning Cassius Mailula.
As if we did not know it, this is a team with goals all over the park and, given the quality that was not in the side through injury, it is a scary thought for opponents.
But next in the firing line is TS Galaxy, a side who have given them plenty of headaches in the recent past.
In fact, it is fair to say that no other side has given Sundowns as rough a time as the Rockets over the past six years since their first meeting in 2020.
Galaxy have won four of their 14 clashes, to go with eight defeats and two draws, but have been victorious in the last two and three of the last five match-ups.
They have two wins and two draws in their last four home games against Sundowns, and one of those stalemates ended in a penalty shoot-out victory in the Carling Knockout.
For whatever reason, they have become a bogey side for Sundowns, especially in Mpumalanga.
They have also become the draw kings under coach Bernard Parker, with four stalemates in their last five games, and the other finishing in a 3-2 victory against … Sundowns.
Stellies need to gel
The squad overhaul at Stellenbosch FC led to a scratchy performance in their 1-0 loss to AmaZulu to open the league season last time out, and they now have a tough away day at Polokwane City to contend with.
Coach Gavin Hunt bemoaned his side’s bad luck in the game against Usuthu, which was played in Durban despite being a home match for Stellies, but the numbers tell a different story and were on the side of AmaZulu.
But with so much change in the squad, it will take time for Stellenbosch to bed in, and that is a chance for Polokwane to make it two wins from two in the league.
They also played well in their defeat to Sundowns in the MTN8 at the weekend and look like they will be a handful for any side this campaign.
The teams have clashed 10 times before, with Stellies claiming five wins and Polokwane three, including two Stellenbosch victories away from home. But Polokwane did the double last campaign with a pair of victories.
This is the fixture made famous in 2024 when Iqraam Rayners scored all five goals as Stellenbosch won 5-0 at home.
Local bragging rights
There is a local derby on Wednesday as Durban City host Lamontville Golden Arrows, two teams who have had contrasting starts to the campaign.
City have had back-to-back losses, which have put coach Khalil Ben Youssef under immediate pressure, while Golden Arrows started with a draw in the league at home to Chippa United and then claimed that win over Chiefs in the MTN8.
A pair of clean sheets to start the campaign is welcome for Golden Arrows coach Pitso Dladla, who now comes up against the side he led to Nedbank Cup glory last season before departing at the end of the campaign.
How sweet would it be for him to get another win in this fixture?
The teams clashed three times last season following City’s promotion, with Golden Arrows winning at home and the other two games, in the league and Nedbank Cup, ending in draws, though City took the latter tie on penalties on their way to the trophy.