Sport | Patrice Motsepe at it again as he bankrolls revival of popular Gold Cup in ‘coup’ for SA Rugby

Rustenburg Impala won the last edition of the Gold Cup back in 2019.

• Patrice Motsepe’s footprint in South African sport continues unabated after SA Rugby announced that his African Rainbow Capital will bankroll the revival of the popular Gold Cup.
• The tournament, only open to non-varsity clubs, was a victim of the Covid-19 pandemic, having last been held in 2019.
• The new format follows the FA Cup knock-out dynamic, with 32 clubs over the country being pitted against each other from next weekend onwards. 
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Mere months after bailing out SAFA in underwriting a financial truce that saw Bayana Banyana fulfil their obligations at the FIFA Women’s World Cup through his foundation, Patrice Motsepe has now helped boost club rugby at national level.

SA Rugby on Saturday confirmed that the captain of industry’s investment-holding firm, African Rainbow Capital (ARC), will sponsor the revival of the Gold Cup, the popular open-club tournament that ceased back in 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In its new incarnation, the tournament will follow England’s FA Cup format, where 32 teams will be whittled down to two in a straight knock-out over five weeks, starting next weekend.

Unsurprisingly, it was Blue Bulls president Willem Strauss – whose tenure at the union has been illuminated by his leading role in turning the region’s c