While South Africans have been spellbound by the riveting revelations stemming from the Madlanga commission, their attention will turn to a thrill of a different kind that always captivates the nation.
The country will be divided into two camps come Sunday, and the great divide will hold for 90 minutes as friends become foes when part two of the biggest football match within and beyond the borders of the Republic takes place.
It is almost two months since Kaizer Chiefs hosted Orlando Pirates at the FNB Stadium on what was a forgettable day for those clad in gold and black, who left the Calabash with broken hearts after witnessing their beloved Glamour Boys receive a thorough 3-0 thrashing at the hands of their sworn enemy.
Action will return to the 2010 World Cup cauldron where the black and white Buccaneers host the second round of the Soweto Derby, with Chiefs hell-bent on turning the tables on their bitter archrivals.
Chiefs are in a better frame of mind and form, inspired by a six-match unbeaten run.
Amakhosi have a bounce in their step, and their army of supporters will arrive confident that their stars will deliver a better showing than the pedestrian way they succumbed the last time out.
And they have reason to believe, because Chiefs are in a better frame of mind and form, inspired by a six-match unbeaten run — five straight victories and a draw, a revival sparked by a correction of two crucial aspects of their game which manifested in a rediscovery of an appetite for goals and a determination to solidify the defense.
Bar the goalless draw in their last Betway Premiership encounter against Polokwane City on Sunday, Chiefs’ forward line has been in fine form, with 12 goals in six games representing an improved chance conversion. At the back they have been breached only on two occasions as the crusade to complete the season in third position and secure qualification for continental football continues.
Their hosts on Sunday have themselves been riding a crest of the wave. Pirates have given a strong challenge as they bid to dethrone Mamelodi Sundowns from donning the domestic league champions crown which they have monopolised for eight consecutive campaigns.
The fight Pirates have staged in their bid to win their first league trophy in 14 years has given football followers a season to behold, whereas in the past three seasons, where Pirates finished as runners up to Sundowns, the battle for the title would be over with Sundowns securing the championship with matches to spare.
This time, Pirates have appeared determined to shed the perennial bridesmaid tag as they have continued to engage the defending champions in a captivating neck and neck race that has seen the two sides swap the top spot with every passing round of matches.
While Chiefs will go into the match looking to stop a five match Soweto Derby losing streak to the Sea Robbers and avenge the defeat in March, they will do so knowing that a victory will deal the aspirations of their archrivals a huge blow.
A suspenseful Soweto Derby delight lies in prospect.
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