Manning Rangers comfortably finished top of the log to win the first Premiership title ahead of several more fancied opponents. Rangers, known as the
Mighty Maulers, dominated to such an extent that they finished eight points clear of second-placed
Kaizer Chiefs and a further two ahead of
Orlando Pirates. The Chiefs, known as the
Amakhosi, had a more potent attack and a better defensive record than Rangers, and they lost fewer games, but their propensity to draw matches that they should have won cost them the trophy. It handed
Gordon Igesund the first of four Premiership titles that he would win in the competition and got South Africa's new top-flight league off to a noteworthy start.
Umtata Bush Bucks and
Hellenic completed the top five, with
Mamelodi Sundowns in sixth,
Jomo Cosmos in seventh and
Cape Town Spurs in eighth. Popular clubs
Bloemfontein Celtic and
Moroka Swallows came in 10th and 11th respectively, while KwaZulu-Natal giants
AmaZulu finished 14th on the 18-team log. The first two teams to be relegated to the second tier from the Premiership were
Witbank Aces – who won just four games all season and finished with 19 points – and
Michau Warriors. Real Rovers and
Vaal Professionals (36 points each) finished a single point ahead of Warriors and avoided the demotion. There was an abandoned game between Bloemfontein Celtic and Kaizer Chiefs on Sunday 16 February 1997. The game in Bloemfontein was called off in the 40th minute, with the home side trailing Chiefs 2-0, due to crowd trouble. Kaizer Chiefs were given the result along with 3 log points due to the trouble with the crowd being instigated by the Celtic fans. This was a rather surprising turn of events as the Celtic fans, while having a reputation for being extremely vocal and passionate, are not known to be unruly. ==Final league table==