In South African soccer, it is possible for clubs to purchase the licence to play in a league from another club, purchase a club in its entirety, or change names and locations, with relative ease. For this reason, clubs buying their way into the upper divisions is not uncommon.
A number of league and cup winners have been sold in this way, including Manning Rangers, Wits, Moroka Swallows, Bloemfontein Celtic and SuperSport United.
This practice has been heavily criticised, with former Premier Soccer League (PSL) Chief Executive Trevor Phillips complaining that regular name changes and license buy outs was turning the PSL into a "mumbo-jumbo" league, and multiple league winning coach Gavin Hunt also adding his voice to the criticism.
Clubs in the top-tier were sometimes bought by businessman and renamed to have the same name as a club with previous history. In May 2008, this was partially resolved when governing body FIFA stepped in to prevent clubs purchasing licenses to play in a higher league. In 2024, Thabo Nthethe called for stricter measures to regulate buying of clubs, reflecting on the demise of one of the country's best-supported clubs, Bloemfontein Celtic, after the new owner sold the Premiership franchise two years after purchasing the club.
In 2002, the league organisers opted to purchase two clubs; Free State Stars (Qwa-Qwa) and Ria Stars (Polokwane) and dissolve them to reduce fixture congestion. Each club was purchased for R8million. Free State Stars were originally known as Qwa Qwa Stars. Another club known as Free State Stars F.C. has been established since. The owner of the original Free State Stars purchased a club in the lower divisions Maholosiane and renamed it to Free State Stars.
In January 2025, the PSL faced criticism over the poor vetting of owners buying their way into the Premiership. Royal AM, who had bought their way to the Premiership at the start of the 2021âÂÂ22 season, had their fixtures suspended after the South African Revenue Service issued a preservation order against the club over unpaid tax debts by owner Shauwn Mkhize, and players salaries went unpaid.