The Buccaneers, winners of the premier continental club championship in 1995 achieved the feat at the expense of TP Mazembe of DR Congo, after losing by a lone goal to the latter in their second leg 1/8th round clash on Sunday in Lubumbashi.
The South Africans advanced 3-2 on aggregate, after a 3-1 win in the first held in Johannesburg a fortnight ago. Mazembe had to score at least two unanswered goals but could only manage one, courtesy Kiritsho Kasusula on 79 minutes. The South Africans played well despite suffering a numerical disadvantage after captain Lucky Lekgwathi was sent off in the first half.
This is the first time since 2008 that Mazembe has failed to qualify for the mini-league stage of the competition. The Congolese have emerged as one of the dominant forces in the CAF Champions League, having won the title back-to-back, 2009 and 2010; and reached the semi finals at every edition during the last four years.