During the early 2000s, before the formation of Faranani AC, many aspirant runners in Pretoria coming from regions like the Limpopo Province could not easily access or join the existing running clubs at the time, which were connected to or under corporate companies and various government departments. 

For example, some of the government/state running clubs had very strict membership policies that prohibited people who did not work for the specific department from becoming a member. It was then that Mr Thomas Lalamani, a member of the Enduro Athletics Club at the time, conceptualized the idea of starting an athletics club that would accommodate these club-less runners who could not be part of the corporate or government based teams.

At the time, another team with a distinctly Tshivenda flavor called Manoni (The Big birds) Athletics Club was already inexistence and there was a feeling that the stray runners could affiliate with Manoni Athletics Club. Another suggestion was tabled for the club-less runners to join the Harmony Gold team, which was coached by Nick Bester at the time, because the club-less runners used to do weekly time-trial training together with Harmony’s runners during the latter’s weekly time trails. Again, members like Mr Lalamani were adamant that a new club should be established that would someday compete with the likes of Harmony Gold.