DURBAN - Royal AM beat AmaZulu 2-0 in a Durban derby on Sunday and rose seven places to fifth after leaders Mamelodi Sundowns were the only club to win among those who began the weekend in the top eight positions.
Lesotho international Sera Motebang nodded Royal in front on 12 minutes and Mxolisi Macuphu assured the home team of victory with a tap-in five minutes from time.
Victory lifted Royal to 20 points, 17 behind Sundowns, who triumphed 2-0 at Richards Bay on Friday in pursuit of a sixth straight league title.
Royal surprised pundits last season when they debuted in the top flight, finishing third and qualifying for the CAF Confederation Cup, the African equivalent of the UEFA Europa League.
But they have been less impressive in their second campaign, with the victory over AmaZulu as the league reached the halfway mark only the second in their eight most recent outings.
In the other match on Sunday, mid-table TS Galaxy managed only one goal attempt on target when held 0-0 at home by lowly Stellenbosch in eastern city Mbombela.
Coached by German Sead Ramovic, 10th-placed Galaxy have a woeful home record, winning just once in seven matches and scoring only three times.