The high cost of travel on the continent, suspicious officiating from referees and the hinderance competing provides to more lucrative domestic matters have all been blamed in the past for disinterest from South African sides.
But there have also been some instances where the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have themselves made participation risky.
Kaizer Chiefs were booted out of the 2002 African Cup Winners’ Cup and denied the opportunity to defend their title when they questioned the wisdom of travelling to Madagascar for the second leg of a first round tie against US Transport.
The island nation was at the time in the midst of a civil war that meant there were infrequent flight connections and Chiefs asked for a postponement.
But CAF would not budge and in the interests of their safety, Chiefs skipped the fixture and were dumped from the competition. Leading 4-0 from the home leg, their progression to the next round would have seemingly been a formality.
The Amakhosi found themselves with a three-year ban in 2005 when they were knocked out of the Champions League in the third round after some horrendous cheating in the away leg of their tie against Esperance.
The club then refused to enter the Confederation Cup that season when their consolation was to drop into the second-tier continental competition.
There they faced Ismaili of Egypt, but Chiefs decided not to take part after their previous experience in north Africa.
It would be nine years before the team returned to continental competition in 2014 after they also turned down the opportunity to represent South Africa in the Confederation Cup in 2010.
SuperSport United quit continental club competition over safety fears too when they exited the 1996 African Cup Winners’ Cup at the quarterfinal stage.
They were concerned about an away trip to face CR Belouizdad in Algeria, where more than 60,000 people had died in a civil war that raged at the time, but their pleas fell on deaf ears at CAF.
Moroka Swallows turned down several opportunities to play in Africa after their initial appearance in 1994, citing the restrictive cost of participation.
But having found a sponsor in Volkswagen they did compete in 2010 after winning the Nedbank Cup, only to lose in the second round of the Confederation Cup to CAPS United of Zimbabwe.
What they wouldn’t give to be in the running for qualification again.
Orlando Pirates have been South Africa’s most enthusiastic participants over the last few years but that was not always the case.
The club turned down the opportunity to play in the 2007 Champions League having been semifinalists the year before. At the time they blamed the decision on a congested domestic schedule that was a result of the previous year’s run.
South Africa had no sides in the 2006 Confederation Cup after both Bidvest Wits and Swallows decided they were not interested.
And it was the same the following year when Swallows again gave up their berth and Platinum Stars balked at the expense.
Swallows (yet again), Santos and Chiefs all turned down the opportunity to play in the Confederation Cup over the next three seasons.
The deteriorating South African Rand, which has gone from R6 to the US Dollar in 2009 to R16 today makes the cost of competing for clubs, in theory, almost three times as expensive as just a few years ago.
That being the case, expect more withdrawals in the seasons to come.