September 2016 THEare new season forquarter the We already in the of the year, and winter is 2016/17 Absa Premiership almost the door. has started it isfast for With the clockand ticking Pirates’ Tendai tOrlando hose clu bs gh t i n g o ff relegation battles Ndoro whose star isas the at drawn near to curtain is being shining mark the brighter. end of the 2015/16 The Zimbabwean internaleague season in both the National First Division and the tional should be proud of Absa Premiership himself after scoring five Clubs such as Maritzburg leagueUniversity goals in of the first United, Pretoria, Jtwo o mAbsa o C Premiership osmos and Polokwane City wish they can
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played bynot the Rob-as t w othed oteam g r a managed ce between hold the sun to Sea go down Mamelodi Sundowns they are seriously ghting bers, scoring a hat-trick in to achieve their (1st with all they have in their w i t h 5 5 p o i n t s f r o m 2 4 mandate bringing p the o s sopening e s s i o n smatch t o k e e p matches) andofBidVest Wits against the visiting home 10 points medals themselves a oat in the top (2nd with 51 from 24 ight league and before honestly Platinum home iswhile history, and Golden Arrows he matches) speaking, one of them will be Stars (3rd with 44 points from could score two more now we are looking automatically relegated while 24 matches) are seemed to away Ajax Cape Town. forward the othertowill have to ght for have droppedfor outthe of the race. their via the dreaded WeParalimpic also take this opportunity Wesurvival also congratulate Team to NFD Promotion/Relegation t o c o n g r a t u l a t e A l l i s t e r Team SA to have repre- Coetzee represent us. The Play-Offs come June. for his appointment sented us well theAbsa 2016 as the team has already On the other side,atthe Springbok coach. Premiership league title race Rio Olympic Games. That bagged nine medals. is seemed to have become a
Benny’s Academy to represent SA at the DNC World Finals BENNY’ Sports Development and Academy of Louis Trichard are the 2016 Danone Nations Cup national champions after winning the title in Boksburg last weekend. They are the first school from Limpopo province to take the title and the first sports development school to win it. They beat the North West champions, BM Mokitime Primary School, in a penalty shootout, after a closely contested final ended goalless. As national champions, Benny’s will represent South Africa at the Danone Nations Cup world finals in France from October 14th to 16th. BM Mokitime came into the finals as favourites after an impressive performance in the provincial finals. After neither team managed to score in regula-
tion time in the final match, it came down to penalties and Benny’s took it. Benny’s coach, Mbishi Mokwena, said that the tournament is about ‘believing in your dreams’ and his dream since January was to win it. “We followed the tournament religiously on Facebook. We knew who had gone through to the
finals, investigated the type of football they played and the quality of players and we prepared accordingly,” he said. His team went into the nationals focused, confident, quiet and determined, he said. The night prior to the nationals, while the kids from the other schools were running around having fun, his boys decided among themselves to stay focused and not let the bright lights of Joburg get to them. “We remained focused on the task ahead,” Mokwena said. “I was nervous about playing BM Mokitime in the final. They had won all their games whereas two of our games ended in a draw, and I knew prior to the nationals that they were a good side. But I had faith in my team.” The coach said.
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September 2016
Mpumalanga twins football dream comes true
THE theme of the annual Danone Nations Cup competition is “Believe in your Dreams” and every year inspiring and motivating stories emerge, showing that the tournament allows young boys to do just that. This year two players from Nancy Shiba Primary School in Witbank made the point very well. The School did exceptionally well this year, their second year playing in the tournament, thanks mainly to the contribution of two exceptionally gifted players, Kamohelo and Kagiso Mashiloane. The twin boys have a fine football pedigree as their father, Petros ‘Zane’
Mashiloane, played for Witbank Spurs in the 1990s. After retiring from the game Petros became a truck driver and also started his own club in Nkangala and from the age of 5 years old the boys would go with him and watch him training the team and they would also attend games. At the provincial finals back in May, in attendance were the scouts from Mamelodi Sundowns and they were so impressed with the youngsters that they signed them up immediately and they are now part of the club’s development academy going through to Pretoria on a weekly basis to attend training.
Even though Kamohelo plays in defence, he scored one of the best goals of the 2016 Danone Nations Cup in the national finals against Van Rensburg Primary. In the same manouvre he also showed off his dribbling skills when he outsmarted 2 opponents and the goalkeeper to score a cracker. Petros watched his boys play in both the provincial and national finals and he is very proud of their performances. “I’m grateful to Danone for giving this wonderful opportunity to the boys. It opens doors, build confidence and careers. I never had such opportunities in my playing days,” he said. Playing for the Sundowns Academy is a dream come true for the youngsters, Petros said. “There is an exceptional bond between the two boys and the fact that both were selected for Sundowns was good for them as they want to be together. They play better when they are together.” The Sundowns Scout, Mandla Mazibuko said that Kamohelo is a mini version of current Sun-
downs player Keagan Dolly. He is small, but dynamite comes in small packages. “Training is intense at Sundowns,” said Kamohelo. “The coaches are very strict in terms of ensuring the players listen to instructions. We learn something different from each of the coaches that train us, like coach Joel Masilela tells us that we need to practice even if we are not at camp and we need to be as respectful at home as we are on the field of play. Coach Mandla Mazibuko is teaching us dribbling and passing techniques.” Midfielder, Kagiso is excited to be at Sundowns with his brother and best friend. “We like to play together,” he said. “It’s great that we were both invited to be part of the Sundowns Academy.” “I am really enjoying making new friends as well as being trained by the best coaches and learning new soccer techniques all the time,” he said. “I am enjoying learning how to track the ball and how to execute penalty shots.”
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September 2016
Seswai Charities to host the First Annual Seswai Charity Golf Day
THIS Heritage Month, Seswai Charities will host the First Annual Charity Golf Day at Legend Golf and Safari Resort. This is solely aimed at fundraising for the completion of the Tubatsane crèche in Mohlaletse Sekhukhune District, donating to the Pontsho Disability Centre and extending the reach of the newly established Seswai Charities Bursary organization for TVET Colleges and scarce skills development. After years of organizing reputable Golf events for
various organizations including the Annual Premier’s Heritage Golf Challenge, it is the first time Seswai exclusively hosts a Golf day that is dedicated to its core beneficiaries. After getting relentless support through the years and shared expertise with most, The CEO of Seswai Marketing and Branding, Mr Watson Seswai feels privileged to finally launch the Annual Seswai Charity Golf event. Chief Executive Officers, Director Generals, Direc-
tors, MEC’s and other decision makers are welcome to donate to the charitable initiative and to use this platform as a marketing and networking prospect. To the delight of the charities, Seswai appreciates the level of excitement and support shown towards this event by various Cooperate institutions, Government officials, Businessmen and general golf players which makes it one to look forward to.
Team SA on course at Paralympic Games in Rio.
She won a bronze medal in the javelin, F54 category, with a personal best throw of 17.9 metres, a personal best distance. Situ carried the flag at the opening ceremony, and she is taking part in her fourth Paralympics. Team South Africa have now won eight medals in all, three gold, two silver and three bronze. The team have athletes involved in athletics, archery, para-canoeing, wheelchair tennis and para-cycling later Wednesday. Earlier, Tyrone Pillay pushed Team South Africa's medal tally to seven at the Rio Paralympics as he claimed bronze in Shot-Put. Pillay threw a personal best distance of 13-point-9-1 metres, and in the process, he broke the South African and African records in the F42 category. For the record Team SA had won nine medals in total
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September 2016
2016/17 Premiership season promises to give fans more football flair SOUTH Africa’s crazy football fans are seemed to be in for an interesting 2016/17 Premiership season if results from the opening league matches are something to go by, WRITES NAKAMPE LEKWADU. Players such as Tendai Ndoro of Orlando Pirates has already fired the first signs of what can be expected this season after he singly handled the visiting Golden Arrows when he scored three goals that saw the Seas Robbers merged 3-1 victors on August 24 at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. Ndoro who went on to score two more goals to take his tally to five in two matches during Pirates’ 2-1 victory in their second league match is set to keep fans on their toes throughout this season if the form he started the season is anything to go by. Hot on his trail is Chippa United’s Rhulani Manzini and Nathan Paulse of Ajax Cape Town who have two goals apiece after their clubs’ two league matches.
Manzini, the Bushbuckridge-born star, Mpumalanga scored a brace during the Chilly Boys’ 2-1 victory over the visiting Free State Stars at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth in the opening matches while Paulse’s two goals came from their 1-1 away to Baroka in the opening match and their 2-1 defeat by Pirates.. The first matches between Chippa and Ea Lla Koto was not the only match that produced three goals thriller, but elsewhere at the BidVest Wits Stadium, BidVest Wits took the visiting Kaizer Chiefs by surprise , with a 2-1 victory. Elias Pelembe, the former Mamelodi Sundowns star kept fans on their toes
with his darting moves before he could cap his glorious night with a goal while Thulani Hlatswayo netted the second with Chiefs scoring a consolation goal via Lorenzo Gordinho. The other players who are expected to be in the hearts of the crazy Mzansi football fans this season include Bangolethu
Jayiya of Cape Town City, Tefu Mashamaite (SuperSport United) and many more who were recently signed at various clubs. Meanwhile the full results are the opening Absa Premiership matches are: BidVest Wits 2 v Kaizer Chiefs 1, Platinum Stars 1 v SuperSport United 0, Bloemfontein Celtic 0 v Maritzburg United 1, Cape Town City 2 v Polokwane City 0, Baroka 1 v Ajax Cape Town 1 and Chippa United 2 v Free State Stars 1. Some of the results for Absa Premiership’ second matches are: Ajax Cape Town 1 v Orlando Pirates 2, Polokwane 0 v BidVest 0 and Highlands Park 2 v Baroka 1.
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9
September 2016
Ndoro take an early lead on the league’ score-sheet WITH only two matches played in the 2016/17 Absa Premiership, some players are seemed destined to score big in terms of achievement at the end of the season, WRITES NAKAMPE LEKWADU One such player is Tendai Ndoro, the Orlando Pirates star midfielder who has so casted his net in the deeper end in terms of challenging the Golden Boot Award. The Zimbabwean international has so far has five goals under his belt, the number of goals scored by the Sea Robbers so to have singly contributed by himself.
Elias Pelembe
Tendai Ndoro
As opposed to the two seasons he played for Mpumalanga Black Aces between 2013 and 2015 where he played 14 goals in 41 matches, and with 28 more league matches which Pirates are still to play, the former Chicken Inn start seemed to be destined for big things this season should he keep to his scoring prowess in the forthcoming league matches. Apart from Ndoro, the other players to look up to
this season include Tefu Mashamaite who was recently paraded by SuperSport United. Those with good memories will remember Mashamaite as the recipient for the won the Absa Premiership Footballer of the Season, the players' player and best defender prizes for the 2014/15 season which saw him walk away with R450 000 in prize-money. The Senwabarwana (formerly Bochum),
Limpopo-born star went on to seek for greener pastures for the Swedish side, BK Hacken where he had unsuccessful season. Other players who look set to flourish this season include among others the likes of BidVest Wits’ pair of Elias Pelembe, Thulani Hlatswayo and Gabadinho Mhango while the likes of veteran Collins Mbesuma (Highlands Park), Lewis Macha and Edmore Chirambadare (both Kaizer Chiefs)
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September 2016
Springboks keen to resume All Blacks rivalry
THE Springboks are excited to resume their rugby rivalry with New Zealand when the two teams meet in the fourth round of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday. Springbok coach Allister Coetzee and flanker Francois Louw, who will earn his 50th Test cap for South Africa on Saturday, addressed the media earlier on Thursday at their team hotel in Christchurch. Looking forward to the big clash this weekend, Coetzee said: “This is definitely
a great opportunity for us and whenever South Africa have played New Zealand in the past, it’s always been a big battle. “We are looking forward to it because tradition and history tell you that it is going to be a physical battle and skill sets will be tested. We playing against the world’s number one team and it’s going to be a great test of where we are as a team and how much progress we have made up until now. “We’ve come close on numerous occasions against New Zealand, where we lost matches by
just falling short of the line or missing a lineout ball in the last minute of the game. You cannot afford those soft moments against a quality side such as the All Blacks.” The Springboks had another good training session on Thursday at their base, the Peppers Clearwater Resort, and they will wrap up preparations on Friday with the captain’s run at the stadium. The match will be televised live on SuperSport1 – kick-off is at 9.35am (SA time).www.sarugby.co.za
Du Toit, Koch to start for Boks PIETER-Steph du Toit and Vincent Koch were included in the Springbok starting line-up to face the All Blacks in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch on Saturday, when Francois Louw will play in his 50th Test for South Africa. Du Toit replaces Lood de Jager, who sustained a severely bruised knee last week against the Wallabies in Brisbane, while Koch gets the nod ahead of Lourens Adriaanse, who started last week in Australia. The rest of the Springbok starting line-up is unchanged. There are however several changes on the bench. Promising Emirates Lions hooker Malcolm Marx gets a first spot amongst the reserves, while Willem Alberts fills the gap on the bench left by Du Toit. Amongst the replacement backline players, Damian de Allende swaps places with Lionel Mapoe. www.sarugby.co.za
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September 2016
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believe that the best of these two sprinters is still to be seen by the South Africans.
THE participation of Clarence Munyai and Gift Leotlela in the recent Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil was the biggest achievement of a three year partnership between Bestmed and the High Performance Centre (HPC), WRITES NAKAMPE LEKWADU. This is according to HPC’s chief executive officer, Toby Sutcliffe during Sports Focus’ surprise visit at his office in Tswane. For the record, both Leotlela and Munyai finished the 200m race during the Olympic Games and Sutcliffe
Leotlela and Munyai arrived here at the Tuks Sports Academy when the institution ventured into the partnership with Bestmed three years ago with 60 other youngsters. “Like any other young athletes who are admitted to the academy, we start them with the program of building their muscles and at the same time allowing them to adapt to the right diet,” explained Sutcliffe who has been at the centre since its inception in 2000. With the best medical attention at the expense
of Bestmed, both Leotlela and Munyai did not disappoint as they went on to perform very well in other competitions ahead of the Olympic Games in Rio. For the record, Leotlela earned himself a Gold Medal in 100m during the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2015 before he could add a Silver medal under his belt during this year’s Junior World Championships. On the other hand, not to be outdone, Munyai was also in his best during the World Junior Championships, as if that was not enough, he went on to clock 20.39 seconds personal best record at the University of Johannesburg which booked him a ticket to the Olympics in Rio. Having already agreed in principles with Bestmed to extent their partnership with more three years, Sutcliffe told Sports Focus that they don’t see any reason why they will not reward Bestmed with some good results in the near future. “We are looking forward to this extended partner-
ship with Bestmed to improve the standard of both Leotlela and Munyai while at the same time producing more athletes as part of our reward to Bestmed,” said Sutcliffe who described their love for their athletes at heart as their secret to a successful results. Given the fact that HPC has produced other world’s known athletes such as the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Gold Medalist in 800m, Caster Semenya and a number of football stars such as Robyn Johannes, Lerato Chabangu, and many other sports personalities, Sutcliffe is positive that the best is still to come. “For athletics, our long term goal is to build a strong team that will represent us well during the 2022 Commonwealth Games which will be held in Durban, and before that we are looking forward to use other competitions such as Region 5 Championships in Angola, the World Junior Championships and Youth Commonwealth Championships as a platform to prepare ourselves,” he concluded.
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September 2016
Mogale City to host the SILVERSTAR Casino in the Mogale City has been announced as the venue to host this year’s Gauteng Sports Awards. MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Ms Faith Mazibuko confirmed that in an event held recently, saying that this year saw a substantial increase in the nominations received. This is confirmation that the Gauteng Sport Awards have over the years earned themselves the reputation of being one of the greatest sporting events hosted in the Province. The event will be held on October 2 and guests from the sporting fraternity, business and entertainment industry will come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements and excellence that Gauteng athletes, sport officials, sport fans and the media have demonstrated. The finalists were shortlisted by a panel of independent adjudicators, represented by individuals from the media, academic and sporting
fraternity. Futshane Consulting Pty (Ltd) has been appointed as the auditors to monitor this process. The finalists are:
Cricket Gauteng Wheelchair Basketball Boys U23 Wheelchair Basketball
Sportswoman with a disability Zandile Nhlapo Javelin & Shotput Maria Combrink Athletics: Discuss/Shotput Sandra Khumalo Rowing ASW1X Kgothatso Montjane Wheelchair Tennis Singles & Doubles
Administrator of the year Vicky Magu Chess Karen Losch Wheelchair Tennis Greg Fredericks Cricket Siyabulela Loyilane Football
Sportsman with a disability Lucas Sithole Wheelchair Tennis Singles & Doubles Shaun Anderson Target Archery Ntando Innocent Mahlangu Athletics: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m
Coach of the year Kelsey White Water Polo Geoffrey Toyana Cricket Johan Ackermann Rugby
Sportsteam with a disability Kwa Thema Disability Sports Club CP Soccer (Athletics) Central Gauteng Blind Cricket Team
Most Promising team Ga- Rankuwa Queens Football Club l Women’s Football Pretoria Technical High School 1st Team Rugby Rugby Gauteng Wheelchair Basketball Women’s Team Wheelchair Basketball
Sports team of the year FNB Wits Rugby Club 1st Team Xerox Golden Lions Currie Cup Team 2015 Women’s Lightweight Double Scull Kirsten McCann and Ursula Grobler Sportsman of the year Keagan Larenzo Dolly Football Lesego Stephen Mokoka Athletics Kagiso Rabada Cricket Sportswoman of the
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September 2016
FOCUS POPULARITY SHOOTS Gauteng Sports Awards UP TO 14 MODELS! Sports journalists of the year Charles Baloyi Daily Sun/Sunday Sun Mbali Mokoko Kaya FM Tumi Kgasoe YFM Technical official of the year Charmaine Glynis Ho Archery year Sune Luus Women’s Cricket Alyssa Conley Athletics (100m and 200m) Patience Ntshingila Athletics (Triple Jump) Most promising player/athlete Emma Hardham Water Polo Gareth Bremmer Ice Hockey – Various Events Siphamandle Hadebe Volleyball Nokwande Hlongwane Wheelchair Tennis
School sport athlete of the year Mpho Tladi Jeppe Boys High School Nokwande Hlongwane
Community sport and recreation programme of the year Johannesburg Spikers Volleyball Academy Volleyball (Sammy Kekana) Dangerous Darkies Hockey Club Hockey Faith and Hope Foundation Ladies Football Lifetime Achievement Award
Mpho Makhoba Tennis Michelle Joubert Hockey Community media of the year Tshepo Thafeng TV Station Alex News Online News Feed Moipone Mzolo Radio Station
Wheelchair Tennis SA/ Adelaide Tambo School Andesa Ophondo Nonkonyane Kensington Secondary School
The following categories are determined through public voting:
l
Sport fan of the year 03 Mamello Constance Makha 05 William Mukwevho 07 Mdevas Mokubela David Sport programme of the year 08 SABC1/ Sportsbuzz Tshiwela Nwendamutswu 02 The Home Straight
Kaya FM 04 Soweto TV Sylvester Coach Zungu Sport personality of the year 09 Janine van Wyk Women’s Football 01 Andrea Dalle Ave Athletics 06 Kagiso Rabada Cricket Keegan Dolly Football To vote sms the athlete’s code to 33525, sms charged at 1.50 free SMS do not apply. There is no limit to the number of sms’s sent per cellphone number. The competition runs from 31st August to 2nd October 2016 12h00, T&C’s apply
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September 2016
Preserving the Diversity of Our Identity and Heritage SOUTH Africa is a diverse nation and its character is shaped through its strong cultural identity. The strong influence from European and modern culture sweeping across South Africa has seen the formation of organisations such as Indoni striving to preserve the heritage, traditions, culture and unique identity of the country and its people through education. “As we approach heritage day this September, it is also important to reflect on how we preserve this heritage and pass it onto the next generation undiluted. Through stimulating the African legacy, Indoni aims to rekindle individualistic sense of belonging and identity,” says CEO of Indoni, Dr Nomcebo Mthembu. From the manner we communicate through language, music, clothes, religion, architecture etc., to the method we handle ourselves, western culture has proved to have imposed great influence in every sphere of human life. Western culture,
particularly European culture continues with its overwhelming influence to recolonise Africa, with excessive acceptance and adoption in South Africa and the African Continent at large. Asked to comment about this topic with a special reference to African young girls, Dr Mthembu, responded:“Is this FREEDOM, is this DEMOCRACY, or just a mockery? Are young black girls, denied of their identity meant to feel free? Can their natural beauty not be their own democracy? Is this not how the colonizers ruled us, stripping us of our identity and culture?
Are we Free, or just seen as Dom?" “Over the years South Africa has come to the realisation that it is important to nurture and preserve our cultures, identity and traditions before we forget and lose our roots by conforming to modern/western culture. Heritage day has been celebrated through sharing of traditional music, dance and food. Elders teach the young, by exchanging knowledge and telling of stories. It is important that we encourage South Africans to engage in activities that will allow them to explore African
experiences and learn about our diversity and pass the teachings onto the next generation.” Our country is known and appreciated throughout the world for being a multicultural rainbow nation and for embracing diversity and for its rich history and heritage. It is important that we remain true to our heritage by inspiring young people and the society in a manner that positively inspires the promotion and restoration of our true roots and beautiful cultures. While modern and European culture influence and change Africa’s behaviour and customs, Indoni aims to preserve these cultures by inspiring people in a manner that is positively uplifting, while keeping true to the roots of the diverse cultures in South Africa. Indoni proves that new and emerging cultures can exist without tainting the ancient traditions, cultures and identities that define the vastly diverse but equally unified South African people.
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September 2016
ALLISTER Rene Kalmer COET and Mel Du Bois
Joburg Challenge
ATHLETICS fever is at an all-time high in the country following the recent Rio Olympics. South Africans are still celebrating the achievements of Team South Africa in Rio last month, with Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk elevated to superhero status after their gold medal victories. Many couch potatoes who spent 16 days getting up in the wee small hours of the morn-
ing to watch their heroes performing on the other side of the Atlantic suffered withdrawal symptoms when the Games were over – and many of them decided to shake off their postOlympics blues by getting off their couches to do something sporty. Road running is one of the most popular forms of exercise. It requires little more than a pair of shoes and the determina-
tion to hit the road – and the SPAR Women’s Challenge at the Wanderers Club in Illovo on Sunday October 9 gives thousands of women something to train for. The Johannesburg SPAR 10km Challenge and 5km Fun Run have become an important fixture on the road running calendar, with thousands of women and girls from all walks of life taking part. The Sonja Laxtondesigned route winds its
way through some of Johannesburg’s most beautiful leafy suburbs and the race takes place at a time when the weather is usually at its best. The Johannesburg Challenge is the final race in the five-race SPAR Grand Prix, so the country’s top female runners will be taking part in an effort to gain as many Grand Prix points as possible. Four Olympians, Lebogang Phalula, Chris-
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September 2016
YMPIC AND PARALYMPIC QUALIFICATION SHORT named patrons of SPAR Women’s TIC CHAMPIONSHIPS tine Kalmer, Ruthendo Nyahora and Irvette Van Zyl the current SPAR Grand Prix points leader have confirmed their intended participation in the Challenge. Nyahora successfully defended her SPAR Women’s Pretoria Challenge victory at SuperSport Park on Saturday. SPAR also announced that three times SPAR Grand Prix champion, Rene Kalmer as well as popular actress, Mel Du Bois of 7de Laan fame would be patrons of the 2016 Joburg leg of the SPAR Women’s Challenge. “Our race is not only about top athletes and social runners and walkers but also about fun and entertainment so it’s with pleasure we have Rene and Mel as our faces of the Joburg Challenge this year” said Martin Webber, SPAR South Rands Marketing Director. “Rene and Mel have been great supporters of our race over the years and will interact through social media with all entrants leading up to the race and be at the race in October which will certainly add the excitement on the day.”
Webber added that the 2016 Challenge promises to be more exciting than ever because of the rising number of entries and the celebrations of the SPAR Grand Prix’s tenth anniversary. “This year, we challenge women to not only come and enjoy race day, but as part of the SPAR Women’s Challenge family, to embrace what we are all about. The 2016 race is all about showing you care. So embrace the chance to be part of the race and support a larger cause.” With October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, it is only fitting that the designated charity associated with the race is Reach for Recovery, a voluntary support group for women with breast cancer. The partnership goes back a number of years, and the women from Reach for Recovery
T THE 2016 SA NATIONAL
have become an important part of the race, wearing their distinctive pink t-shirts and spreading the word that cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. As in previous year, SPAR are encouraging schools to participate in the race and have partnered with Mercer to award the top three schools with the largest entries and race finishers with IT prizes. For the first time this year, the organisers are also calling on the people of Johannesburg to help those who cannot afford the shoes needed to start running. During the 2015 SPAR Challenge, staff from Caxton noticed that many children from disadvantaged schools ran the race barefoot. As a result, Caxton is running the Drop off a Pair and Show You Care drive to put shoes on bare feet.
Participants in the Challenge can drop off an old pair of shoes when they collect their race numbers. The style and size don’t matter, but what is important is that the shoes should be in good condition. Those who donate shoes stand a chance of winning one of five R1000 SPAR vouchers, one of five sets of New Balance running shoes, or one of five hair vouchers from Tanaz in Sandton. Entry forms are available from all SPAR stores or online at spar.co.za. Meanwhile Sports Focus and Spar South Rand are giving away Spar Shopping Vouchers worth R3 000 to four lucky readers. To stand a chance of winning, answer the simply question below: Name one patrons of SPAR Women’s Joburg Challenge who recently announced. Send your answer, name and contact details at sportsfocus@lenakacom.c o.za The competition closes on Monday, September 19 and winners will be informed telephonically on Tuesday, September 20.
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September 2016
TSOGO SUN ACADEMY BEARING
TSOGO Sun Football Academy is fast yet silently making progress in taking football development to the new heights, WRITES NAKAMPE LEKWADU From its humbled beginning with 40 players shortly after the 2010 FIFA World Cup which was held in the country, the academy has grown with leaps and bounds, and today boasts of 80 players. A c a d e m y m a n a g e r, G i f t
Mokgupo said they have a reason to celebrate their success as they have produced a number of players to some of the country's top clubs. “When we started this academy, our main aim was to plough back to the communities around Silverstar's operational areas in the Mogale City, and little did we know that the results would come as fast as they are now,”
said Mokhupo during our surprise visit to the academy's training session in Krugersdorp recently. Mokgupo said they between 2011 and now, the academy has developed and produced seven players who are now plying their trades at developments of big clubs such as Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates and BidVest Wits plus School of Excellence. With former Kaizer Chiefs'
veteran development coach, Terror Sephoa in charge as the h e a d o f t h e a c a d e m y, Mokgupo said the sky will has no limit “Ntate Sephoa is a committed coach and a father gure like him is a motivation on its own for us and the players equally as we are learning a lot from him. He has a rich experience that we are bene tting from him,” added Mokgupo.
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September 2016
THE FRUITS OF ITS SUCCESS Among the players t h e y h a v e developed before they could be snatched by big clubs include Prince Moeketsi a n d Ts h e p a n g Moredi who have both been signed by Kaizer Chiefs for their Under-17 team, two more players, Tebogo and Lesego have been signed by BidVest Wits while Orlando Pirates also signed three p l a y e r s , Ya h i m M o d i s e , Lehlohonolo Letshwene and Steve Kobeni who are part of the Sea R o b b e r s ' youngsters participating in the Multichoice Diski Challenge. Said Sephoa:”These trio were signed by P i r a t e s ' development coach after our academy beat theirs 3-1 in one of our friendly matches. Palacios was always asking about their whereabouts whenever I was chatting with him, and I sensed his seriousness about these youngsters of which I ended up releasing them to him.” Apart from the players who were signed by the three clubs, Sephoa also was not mincing his words whenever he was speaking about other youngsters, one “Hlokoloza” Mabe. Sephoa added that Tsogo Sun has gone out of their way in
making sure they bring the best coaches for the academy which has three divisions. “We have a bunch of coaches who understand and have interest in seeing these kids being developed,” added Sephoa
produce more players . “The invitation came as good news for us, more so because in all the academies around Gauteng, PSL only invite three which was us, School of Excellence and Randburg academy,” said Mokgupo.
The coaches are Tumelo Kgosi who heads the Under-13 team, Sonny Sathekge (U-15), former Jomo Cosmos' Sammy Magalefa (U-17) and Gift himself who coaches the U-20 team. The academy participates in the SAFA-Soweto League and their U-13 and 15 managed to nished their league season on position 7 respectively while their U-19 and 19 side nished fourth apiece. Good news for the academy is that they have been approached by the Premier Soccer League to participate in its Gauteng League of the Juniors of which Mopgupo said it came as yet another achievement for the academy as the more they participate in these kind of activities, the more they will be able to
The Tsogo Sun Academy selects its players via its annual tournament which is held every year in September at the Lusaka Sports Complex in Swaneville on the West Rand. “Our Academy is very different from other academies in Gauteng. Our emphasis is on life skills, values in the players every week when we do life skills both on and off the eld,” pointed out Mokgupo. This is part of Tsogo Sun's CSI's initiate headed by CSI manager, Shanda Paine to reach and plough back to the community “We are looking forward for yet another successful year in the 2016 edition of the competition,” concluded Mokgupo.
20
September 2016
MZANSI’S TOP CELEBS APPOINTED AS
IN line with the 2016/17 Absa Premiership season, Absa which is the member of Barclays, recently announced that it will leverage the widespread appeal of football to promote awareness of and registrations for the Group’s ReadytoWork initiative. The Group also unveiled three prominent South African personalities as ReadytoWork ambassadors for the current football season. ReadytoWork is a key part of Barclays Africa’s Shared Growth commitment to education and skills, as announced earlier this year, and seeks to help young people bridge the gap
between education and the world of work. The ultimate goal of the free online ReadytoWork curriculum – which focuses on People Skills, Money Skills, Work Skills and Entrepreneurial Skills – is to improve the employability or selfemployability prospects of young people. Matshepo Majola, General Manager, Group Marketing for Barclays Africa, said: “We are very excited to align our ReadytoWork initiative with the current Absa Premiership season. We will leverage the passion that young people have for soccer to drive awareness about ReadytoWork among fans, academy
players at all clubs, the public and, internally, among our colleagues as well.” “We are encouraging young people to complete the online ReadytoWork curriculum to put themselves in line to win one of four month-long Absa Premiership internships through Absa and our partners during the 2016/17 Absa Premiership season, to help prepare them for the world of work,” she added. To inspire young people to up-skill themselves through opportunities such as ReadytoWork, Absa also unveiled three ambassadors whose personal successes in their current careers highlight the value of continuous l self-improvement. Bokang Montjane, Miss South Africa 2010, now a successful businesswoman, will be joined by former Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs great, Jimmy Tau, as well as Sibusiso Ngwenya, founder and head-designer of the famous Skinny Sbu Socks, as its three main ReadytoWork ambassadors. “Being crowned Miss South
Africa, afforded me the platform to change my own world and the lives of others. As a young girl from Ga-Mphahlele in Limpopo, the crowning revealed that anything is possible in this life and it also gave me amazing opportunities. I want to emphasise the importance of up-skilling oneself to every young person. Our youth need to be motivated so that they do not give up on their dreams and this opportunity with Absa enables me to do that,” said Montjane. One being part of the ReadytoWork initiative, footballer Jimmy Tau said: “The career of a footballer, or any sportsperson for that matter, is relatively short. There are no guarantees of a bright future after you quit your sport unless you start working on it while still playing. I began up-skilling myself as I was nearing the twilight of my career, which has yielded great, lifechanging results for
September 2016
ABSA’S READYTOWORK CAMPAIGN “We are encouraging young people to complete the online ReadytoWork curriculum to put themselves in line to win one of four month-long Absa Premiership internships through Absa and our partners during the 2016/17 Absa Premiership season, to help prepare them for the world of work,” she added. To inspire young people to up-skill themselves through opportunities such as ReadytoWork, Absa also unveiled three ambassadors whose personal successes in their current careers highlight the value of continuous selfimprovement. Bokang Montjane, Miss South Africa 2010, now a successful businesswoman, will be joined by former Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs great, Jimmy Tau, as well as Sibusiso Ngwenya, founder and headdesigner of the famous Skinny Sbu Socks, as its three main ReadytoWork ambassadors. “Being crowned Miss South Africa, afforded me the platform to change
my own world and the lives of others. As a young girl from Ga-Mphahlele in Limpopo, the crowning revealed that anything is possible in this life and it also gave me amazing opportunities. I want to emphasise the importance of up-skilling oneself to every young person. Our youth need to be motivated so that they do not give up on their dreams and this opportunity with Absa enables me to do that,” said Montjane. One being part of the ReadytoWork initiative, footballer Jimmy Tau said: “The career of a footballer, or any sportsperson for that matter, is relatively short. There are no guarantees of a bright future after you quit your sport unless you start working on it while still playing. I began up-skilling myself as I was nearing the twilight of my career, which has yielded great, life-changing results for me. I intend spreading this message to the young people in our country,” said the Honours graduate from UNISA. “As a young entrepreneur,
Matshepo Majola
it is important for me show young people that with drive and passion anything is do-able and it doesn’t matter from what circumstances one comes from. Mine is to tell the story about selfemployability which is a key element of ReadytoWork. Not every young person is guaranteed a job but one can always come up with great ideas to start businesses that will bring them a bright future,” added Ngwenya. During the course of the 2016/17 Absa Premiership season, the trio will share
their insights and encourage young people to up-skill themselves as well as grab every opportunity to enhance their work opportunities. They will embark on roadshows and conduct on-theground activations with all 16 Absa Premiership clubs’ academies, as well as targeted tertiary institutions and TVET Colleges. To register for the ReadytoWork programme, young people can visit the Absa website at www.absa.co.za/readytow ork
September 2016
Beautiful transporter anytime, anywhere
In my book the refreshed Hyundai H1 is the most beatiful mini-bus transporter on South African roads. When its parked or effortlessly cruising on the freeway, the H1 sure turns heads. The stylish vehicles gives the driver and passengers a superior driving performance experience. With nine seats, the H-1 Bus has all the space you need. The 842 litres of luggage space and superb interior enhanced by flush-fitting side windows for great visibility, gives you the peace of mind that your journey will be a success. The new H1 Bus variant also boasts an interior with a
leather steering wheel and gear knob as well as glove box cooling for extra comfort on the road. In fact leather is thematic the entire interior Whether it is the 2.4-litre multi-point injection petrol engine or 2.5-litre CRDi turbo diesel engine, the H-1 provides you with excellent performance and fuel economy, which explains why is favoured by the tourism industry ahead of its German-made competition. Hyundai puts the petrol engine's economy at 10.2L/100km, while the turbodiesel is pitched at 9.0L/100km. Features
Rear park distance control makes parking very easy, something handy for a large vehicle. So reversing safely and parking is made easy through clear warnings from the rear park distance control. USB, MP3 and iPod connectivity make any trip a party on wheels. All you need is your music collection on your phone, USB storage stick or CD pouch - connect and play! Verdict The Hyundai H1 bus is a versatile vehicle, suitable for both short and long distance trips with a latter clearly more pleasurable given the space
and comfort the H1 gives a travelling group or family to enjoy the road. The vehicle also packs enough power and speed to deal with any situation on the trip, whether the need to hurry up or climb hilly terrains. Even better, it costs less than its competitors in this class. Pricing H1 2.5 Diesel 9 Seater Bus Automatic R614 900 H1 2.4 Petrol 9 Seater Bus Manual R499 900 With a five-year/150 000km warranty, fiveyear/90 000km service plan and five-years' or 150 000km worth of roadside assistance.
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