Chiefs beat Ajax in derby run-up

Kaizer Chiefs crushed Ajax Cape Town 3-0 to cement their first place on the South African Premiership table on Tuesday, ahead of their epic weekend derby against second-placed Orlando Pirates. In a listless first half Bernard Parker scored the opener after 35 minutes, before two more in the second half sealed the match in Durban. Siboniso Gaxa slid the ball past goalkeeper Sander Westerveld close to the box for his first league goal in the 66th minute, while Siphiwe Tshabalala's long shot from 30 metres out found the back of the net a quarter hour before time. Chiefs goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune saved on-target strikes from Ajax, notably Zimbabwean midfielder Khama Billiat's powerful shot just past the first half hour. The win restores Chiefs' confidence after their first league defeat last week at Platinum Stars. The boost may help them in their derby clash against Pirates on Saturday, with 84,000-seater Soccer City in Soweto already sold out. Platinum Stars shuffled Maritzburg United out of third position after a 1-0 win during their Pietermaritzburg clash. Innocent Mkhabela scored the goal in the 51st minute, netting the ball off Patrick Malokase's corner. A red card for Maritzburg's Mohammed Awal from Ghana two minutes earlier was telling. His challenge of Tintswalo Tshabalala was faulted. The home side kept testing Stars' defence, with national team midfielder Delron Buckley trying his luck at every turn. Their efforts did not bear fruit though. An own goal by SuperSport United captain Thabo September caused a 1-1 draw against Bloemfontein Celtic in Pretoria. The result saved the visitors a humiliating defeat in their first match after winning the League Cup from Mamelodi Sundowns over the weekend. September headed the ball into his own box two minutes before time, undoing Ashley Hartog's goal from the 65th and throwing away what could have been their second win in 13 matches. SuperSport's eleventh undecided match continues their curse of draws. Golden Arrows won their first in five games with a 2-0 victory over Moroka Swallows at Durban. Midfielder Musa Bilankulu headed in the ball in the 24th minute after jumping at Sibusiso Hadebe's corner. Visitors Swallows failed to score despite constant pressure with Lerato Chabangu unnerving goalkeeper Pavels Steinbors. The Latvian pushed away the midfielder's shot just before the break, and Chabangu's free kick in the 71st minute went wide. From FIFA