Black Leopards Relegated Again as Namibian Duo Faces Tough Times

Relegation has become a bitterly familiar word for Black Leopards – and for Namibian striker Bethuel Muzeu, it now cuts for a second time.

The Limpopo club’s drop from the South African National First Division, the Motsepe Foundation Championship, was confirmed on Sunday, even as they fought to the end with a 2-1 win over Venda Football Club. The result dragged them up to 28 points with one game still to play, but the maths stayed cruel. They cannot reach the 32-point mark needed to survive, even if University of Pretoria slip in their final outing.

So, victory on the day. Relegation on the table.

For Muzeu, it is a grim repeat. Black Leopards were relegated from the NFD in 2023, only to buy the league status of Cape Town All Stars and cling to their place in the division. Now, with one game left this season, there is no escape route, no paperwork to save them.

The 26-year-old forward has done his part. Eight league goals this season in a struggling side, after hitting 12 in 2024 and 17 in 2025, underline his consistency across four seasons at the club. He started this campaign brightly, carrying much of Leopards’ attacking threat in the first half of the season, before the goals inevitably slowed as the team’s problems deepened around him.

Behind him, another Namibian has lived through the chaos from an entirely different angle. Goalkeeper Loydt Kazapua, 37, arrived at the start of the season on a free transfer after leaving Sekhukhune United in the Premiership, signing a two-year deal that was meant to steady things at the back.

Instead, he watched from the sidelines as administrative failure sabotaged the opening weeks.

A transfer ban left Leopards unable to register enough players, including a recognised goalkeeper. The consequences were farcical and brutal at the same time. They kicked off the season with only 10 men in their first match. For the first three games, captain and defender Thendo Mukumela pulled on the gloves and went in goal, a symbol of a club trying to patch holes with whatever it had left.

Kazapua was there, but not on the team sheet. Until the ban was lifted, he was simply not eligible. By the time the paperwork cleared and he could finally be registered, Leopards were already sunk deep in the relegation zone, chasing shadows and points they could never quite catch.

Once available, the veteran Namibian quickly claimed the number one spot and enjoyed regular game time. The shirt was his. The results, though, refused to follow. Leopards kept sliding, their season shaped less by form and more by the damage of those early weeks.

The turmoil did not stop at boardroom level. The technical team became a revolving door. Joel Masutha started the campaign in the dugout, but his stint ended in November. Mabuti Khenyeza came in next and lasted just 10 matches before the club moved again. Stability never arrived, and the table told the story.

They now go down alongside fellow Limpopo side Baroka, who have also been relegated to the Safa ABC Motsepe League, leaving a province that once boasted strong representation at higher levels suddenly stripped of two of its traditional campaigners.

For the Namibian contingent in South Africa’s second tier, the picture is mixed. While Muzeu and Kazapua prepare for life outside the NFD, others are still pushing higher. At Highbury FC, Ndisiro Kamaijanda and Ngero Katua are part of a side sitting sixth, safely in the top half. Cape Town City FC – featuring another Namibian, Prins Tjiueza – occupy third place, level on points with fourth, and remain firmly in the hunt for a promotion play-off spot.

Black Leopards, by contrast, have only pride left to play for.

Their final act in this bruising campaign comes against eighth-placed Lerumo Lions on Sunday, 17 May at 15h00. For the club, it is the last game before a return to the lower reaches of South African football. For Muzeu and Kazapua, it may be something else entirely: one more chance to show they belong at a higher level, even as the team around them slips away.