The figures released by organisers of the Telkom Charity Cup on Thursday revealed that Kaizer Chiefs are still miles ahead of the rest of the 18 PSL teams as voting for the four teams entered the second week.

The Amakhosi have already amassed more than 10 000 votes with defending

champions Sundowns trailing not far behind on second spot, Orlando Pirates

third and Moroka Swallows fourth while Ria Stars a credible fifth.

Ria Stars have certainly made a huge impact on local soccer and their

exciting brand of football, a mixture of the disciplined European and

spectacular, yet skillful local approach has endeared them to millions of

followers.

Ria Ledwaba's team has shot far ahead of the rest of the old campaigners in

the PSL despite the fact that they have just finished their maiden season

in the elite division and with a little more luck or more voting, could

upstage Swallows.

In the figures released by the organisers yesterday which were verified and

certified by reputable accountants Delloite and Touche, Kaizer Chiefs were

in pole position after collecting 9704 "hard" and 745 "soft" votes for a

total of 10449 votes.

PSL chairman Leepile Taunyane explained that the "hard" votes are those

registered by callers to select the team of their choice. However, the

caller is then required to nominate three other teams he or she wishes

should play against the team of their choice.

The three teams which the caller selects are considered as "soft" votes and

if a caller selects only his or her favourite team and omits to include the

other three, that vote is destroyed or considered a spoilt ballot.

And Sundowns supporters were making sure that the "Brazilians," who have

just reconciled in marriage with Ted Dumitru, also get the opportunity to

defend the trophy they won last year when they were trailing behind with a

total of 8638.

Orlando Pirates were third on 8328 while Moroka Swallows were hanging on

fourth position with a total of 6478 and surprise package Ria Stars fifth

on 2337, which was quite a remarkable achievement considering that the rest

of the campaigners were struggling to pass the one thousand figure mark.

Robert Russell, managing director of Valuecare Telecommunication Services,

the service provider for sponsors Telkom, said they were aware of the chaos

experienced last year and previous years prior to the tournament when some

teams used computer modems to vote.

"If we get a repeat call from the same number, the system is able to pick

it up immediately and should it be an automated call, we are able to

distinguish it and it is cancelled without delay. So there is no way that

modems or computers can be used in this year's voting."

The closing date for voting is on July 20 and the four successful teams

will be announced two days later. The draw will be conducted on Monday July

23 and the all-day tournament will take place at the FNBStadium on Saturday

July 28.

Top 10 Teams:

Team	Hard votes	Soft votes	Total
Kaizer Chiefs	9 704	745	10 449
Sundowns	8 338	300	8 638
Orlando Pirates	7 608	720	8 328
Moroka Swallows	6 243	235	6 478
Ria Stars	2 119	218	2 337
Jomo Cosmos	799	83	882
Bush Bucks	581	45	626
Ajax Cape Town	439	44	483
Golden Arrows	417	44	461
Bloemfontein Celtic	292	52	344