The start of the action follows a drama-filled week in which clubs African Wanderers and Bloemfontein Celtic - relegated last season - contested their status.
As the league's Board of Governors met in Johannesburg on Sunday, the two clubs said the Premier Soccer League (PSL) had flouted its own rules by not holding a general meeting for the last three years.
They said that therefore any decision it has made since, including the relegation of the sides, have been unconstitutional.
The PSL admitted disregarding its own rules but said the new season would start regardless of the legal challenge.
Governors have now decided to hold a general meeting in November.
Club owners also discussed a more streamlined management structure with less representatives on the decision-making bodies, proposals which has seen chairmen at logger heads.
The league also has to deal with a drastic drop in attendances over the last two years, a sign of public discontent with the playing standards and safety and security - particularly following the death of 43 people at Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium in April.
SPONSORSHIP DEALS
But the loss of this income has been cushioned by new sponsorship deals, including the return of Coca-Cola to back the annual League Cup and a deal to show matches on cable television for the first time.
The league signed a deal with M-Net SuperSport - worth between six million rand ($725,600/_820,000) and nine million rand ($1.09m/_1.24m) - for broadcasting a live match on the cable channel every Tuesday night.
This is in addition to the 36 million rand ($4.34m/_4.94m) deal with state broadcaster SABC, for the coverage of three lives matches a week.
The rights income is divided among the 18 clubs.
On the field, the league opens with six of the 18 clubs playing their first fixtures on Wednesday night. A further ten clubs play their opening games on Thursday.
The championship is expected again to be contested between the Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and defending champions Orlando Pirates.
Between them, they have won 11 of the last 13 championships.
Pirates's coach Gordon Igesund left the club last month but under caretaker Augusto Palacios they have won the Charity Cup.
Sundowns have the veteran Romanian-born coach Ted Dumitru back at the helm. He led them to the league and cup double three years ago before resigning over a contract dispute.
Chiefs, with Turk Mushin Ertugral as their coach, are seeking their first title since 1992 but have just sold influential striker Siyabonga Nomvete to Udinese in Italy.
Officials said they aimed to finish the league by May 1 to give national coach Carlos Queiroz time to prepare the South African side for next year's World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea.
Reuters
