Cape Town City struck late in the dying stages of the second half to secure a 1-0 win over newly-promoted Polokwane City on Sunday evening.
Coach Eric Tinkler named a strong line-up which included veterans Darren Keet, Marc Van Heerden, Brice Ambina, star man Khanyisa Mayo while signing Jo Paciencia started on the bench.
Rise and Shine were under immense pressure from the get-go and struggled to deal with the penetrative runs of Taahir Goedeman and Jaedin Rhodes.
The host continued to pose problems thereafter where a tremendous strike from range by Juan Zapata narrowly shaved the goal of the opposite number Thabang Mathebula.
Tinkler's charges kept coming and a spectacular one-hand save from Mathebula parried a pin-point header from Mayo and denied the Citizens the lead in the remaining ten minutes of the first half.
Rise and Shine continued on the back-foot a minute after halftime and needed a brave stop from Mathebula to court a close-range effort from Mayo.
The Motsepe Foundation Championship winners did manage to settle down and started to have a lot of forward play which pinned the Citizens back in their own half.
Polokwane received a big chance midway through the second half when a knockdown in the area found Given Mashikinya, but he slammed over with the goal at his mercy.
The host responded with a triple substitution around the closing quarter which saw Paciencia, Tshegofatso Nyama and Keletso Sifumba come on.
Cameroonian-born Ambina came extremely close in the last eight minutes with a snap shot on the edge of the area, but Mathebula palmed behind.
The Citizens stole the points in added time when a curling free-kick from Nyama found Paciencia, who rose above his marker to head home the winning goal on debut.
Confirmed line-ups:
Cape Town City: Keet, Mkhize, Mokeke, Cupido, Van Heerden, Ambina, Goedeman, Rhodes, Gonzalez, Mayo, Zapata.
Subs: Mpandle, Sifumba, Nyama, Nodada, Paciencia, Daniels, Slatsha, Tshimanga
Polokwane City: Mathebula, Matuludi, Nkwe, Nikani, Nkaki, Maphangule, Mashikinya, Raphadu, Chauke, Nana, Appollis.
Subs: Mokwena, Baloyi, Van Heerden, Ramabu, Dhladhla, Goovada, Baloyi, Thuto, Ndlovu
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