The Australian Rugby Union has pledged to cut either the Rebels or the Western Force from Super Rugby as the competition contracts from 18 to 15 teams next season.
With media speculation haunting the team throughout 2016, the Rebels managed only one win in a dreary, injury-hit campaign to finish bottom of the Australian conference.
But 27-year-old Mafi was one of the rare good news stories and one of only three Rebels to play all 15 games of the regular season.
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"We’re thrilled that fan favourite Amanaki has chosen to remain with the Rebels in Melbourne for another year after a standout first Super Rugby season generated plenty of interest," Rebels CEO Baden Stephenson said in a statement on Wednesday.
Underlining his cult hero status in Melbourne, Mafi was named starting number eight in a 'people's choice' Super Rugby team of the year issued by the Australian rugby players' union, also on Wednesday.
"It was an easy decision to re-sign with the Rebels, since I’ve arrived everyone has made me feel welcome and my family and I love it here in Melbourne, it’s a great city and my second home," Mafi said.
His re-signing follows the announcement over the weekend that former private owner Andrew Cox had transferred ownership of the team to the Victorian Rugby Union, a move both parties said would secure the team's future in Super Rugby.
The ARU has declined to comment on the impact of the move beyond a statement to say they were "urgently" seeking to confirm the terms of the transfer.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)
