The Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns FC. Known locally as Bafana ba Style—the Stylish Boys—the club is closely tied to the identity of the township it represents. Based in Mamelodi, near Pretoria, The Sundowns have become one of the most successful and well-supported teams in South African football. So, let’s get the badge in and see what we can learn.

The club was officially founded in 1969 in Marabastad, a historically mixed but predominantly Black neighbourhood in central Pretoria. At the time, apartheid laws were being harshly enforced. Black South Africans were being systematically relocated to racially segregated townships on the edges of cities. In 1970, Sundowns relocated to Mamelodi, a growing township about 20 km northeast of Pretoria, which had been designated as a residential area for Black people under apartheid's Group Areas Act.

The name Mamelodi comes from the Setswana phrase “Mamelodi ya Tshwane”, meaning “Whistler of the Apies”—a nickname given to Paul Kruger, President of the former South African Republic from 1883 to 1900, who was known for his ability to whistle and mimic birds. Kruger was a leading figure among the Afrikaner (Boer) leadership during the 19th century and played a major role in shaping early Pretoria. However, the modern township of Mamelodi, created in the 1950s under apartheid policy, bore little resemblance to Kruger’s rural frontier world. It became a place of enforced urbanisation, where Black families were relocated far from the city centre and denied basic services and political rights.

Like many townships in South Africa, Mamelodi suffered from inadequate infrastructure, poor housing, limited access to health and education, and high unemployment. But this hardship also fostered strong community networks, cultural creativity, and political resistance. In this setting, football played a significant role in daily life. It offered not only recreation, but also a sense of structure, identity, and dignity. While sports like rugby and cricket were funded and promoted within white communities, football developed largely in Black urban centres, often organised informally on dusty fields, school yards, and local parks.

Sundowns emerged as one of the most popular township clubs in Gauteng Province during the 1970s and 1980s. Their fast, skilful approach to the game earned them admiration and led to the development of a signature playing style later known as “Shoeshine and Piano”—characterised by quick passing, possession, and fluid movement.

The club’s badge shows a golden sun rising above a blue and yellow shield, with a finger pointing upward and the words: “The Sky is the Limit.” The colours were inspired by the Brazilian national team, and the motto, though simple, reflects the aspirations of a club whose youths were denied opportunity but sought for so much more.

During the 1980s, Sundowns began to move from a township-based team into a more professionally run club. Under businessman Zola Mahobe, the club gained national recognition, introduced financial backing, and adopted the yellow-and-blue kit still worn today. Mahobe's time ended amid financial scandal – it turned out his girlfriend working at Standard Bank had set up hundreds of false accounts to shuffle money to Zola – which he used to fund a lavish lifestyle – including funding the Sundowns.

Following South Africa’s transition to democracy in the early 1990s, new opportunities opened up for football clubs to grow commercially and compete internationally. In 2004, the club was purchased by businessman and mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, who invested heavily in infrastructure, training, and player development. Sundowns’ training facility at Chloorkop and their stadium base at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria reflect this professional evolution.

Yet the club has retained strong links to Mamelodi. Youth programmes, football academies, and outreach initiatives continue to operate in the township. The club’s story is closely tied to the broader history of apartheid, resistance, and post-1994 transformation. Solomon Mahlangu,  the anti-apartheid activist executed in 1979, grew up in Mamelodi. His legacy is still remembered across the township and a bronze statue of him stands not far from where the Sundowns play today.

On the pitch, Sundowns’ record is exceptional: 15 national league titles, a CAF Champions League win in 2016, the CAF Super Cup in 2017, and the African Football League in 2023. In 2025, they became the first Southern African club to win a match at the FIFA Club World Cup, defeating South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai. Their women’s team also made history by winning the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021.

The badge might seem understated—a hand, a sun, a motto—but behind it lies the history of a township team shaped by apartheid policy, township culture, and national ambition. It stands for a club that has grown from the edges of Pretoria into one of the most organised and successful in African football, while never forgetting where it came from.