By Chris Totobela On 20 May, a football side selected from various Makana schools travelled to Graaf-Reinet for the Sarah Baartman district team trials. Four local boys made the cut, one from TEM Mrwetyana Secondary, one from Nombulelo Secondary, and two from Khutliso Daniels Secondary. On 2 and 3 June, this district team travelled to East London for the provincial trials. At the provincial trials, Khutliso Daniels’s Luyolo Matiwane, affectionately known as Pepesi in football circles, was the only local player who made the Eastern Cape team that will travel to Gauteng. The soft-spoken Matiwane started his youth development at…
Author: Chris Totobela
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By Chris Totobela Current log leaders Sophia Young Stars, together with the Three Valleys Wild Farm, will be hosting a Juniors football tournament on Youth Day. This will be a huge relief to many junior teams as they last played a long time ago. According to Sophia’s director of sport Thulani Msipha, this tournament will be held on Youth Day and will only cater for under 14s and under 16s. He went on to say, “On this day, we will be celebrating the sacrifices of the students who fought for our liberation from the apartheid regime.” He also called upon…
NguChris Totobela Bekugoso okwaphukayo kwimidlalo yeMakana LFA ebithe bhazalala kumabala amabini. Kwamabala laseFiddlers Green neFoleys Ground, oompondo zihlanjiwe, bebeqhubisene kwimidlalo ebithande ukuba nzima ngeyona ndlela. Ngomgqibelo ILalibela Lions ixhentse izombelela ngethuba itywatyusha iLove and Peace ngamanqaku asixhenxe kwamabini. INewseekers yona yabhungca kwi-African Spears ngamanqaku amahlanu kwamane logama bona oomehlo madala iAttackers ibethe iGolden Brothers ngamanqaku amane kwamabini. Ngomgqibelo njalo, iqela elalisakuba lelinye lamaqela amakhulu alapha eMakhanda iJuventus ivule kakuhle emva kweminyaka emininzi lanyamalala. AmaTaliyane abethe iJacaranda Academy ngamanqaku amabini kwelinye, yaze yona iRhodes yabhaxabula iCameroon ngamathathu eqandeni logama yona iSeven stars itywatyushe iLeister City ngamane eqandeni. NgeCawa iMaru Academy ibambene…
By Chris Totobela One of Makhanda’s unsung heroines is making her mark in male-dominated sports, karate and boxing. Qonce, born 41-year-old Bongi Mbangela, moved to Makhanda in 2007 and joined the Joza karate club. Now a black belt, she already had a purple belt when she joined the club. Mbangela started her karate career in 1990 after her grandfather advised her to join the sport. “My grandfather forced me to do karate as he wanted me to learn self-defence and discipline, and I later fell in love with the sport,” said Mbangeli. As a child, she started with a white…
NguChris Totobela Bekuxhelwe exhukwane kubathandi bebhola ekhatywayo kule mpelaveki sisuka kuyo nanjengoko imidlalo yeMakana LFA iphinde yabuya. Amaqela ebebila esoma exhwithana kwimidlalo ebibanjelwe kwibala laseFiddler’s Green. Ngomgqibelo iLove and Peace ibethe iAfrican Spears ngamanqaku amane kwamabini, logama yona iYoung Eagles ejonge le ndebe ngamehlo abomvu ibhaxabule iGolden Eagles ngamanqaku asixhenxe kwelinye kumdlalo obuthande ukekelela calanye. NgeCawe i6Sai Army ibethe iEagles ngamanqaku amathathu kwelinye logama yona iMakana Tigers ibhungce ngamanqaku amathathu kwamabini ngethuba iqhubisene neMaru Academy. Komnye umdlalo obutakisa iintlantsi oomakadebona iJoza Callies ibambene ngamanqaku amabini macala neSophia Stars ezintandane zoku phakamisa le ndebe okokuqala kwi mbali yabo. Iya isongana ibhobhile…
By Chris Totobela On 21 May, football fans braved the chilly weather to watch a women’s football game between African Connection women’s football club and the Mary Waters’ girls’ football team, in an entertaining encounter played at Mickey Yili stadium. In the first half, the young Connection side absorbed a lot of pressure from the determined Mary Waters side. The seven-times regional champions got their break midway through the first half when the referee awarded a penalty after the defender handled the ball inside the box. Sandisiwe Mhlawuli calmly slotted the ball home. Lack of communication at the back resulted…
By Chris Totobela Joza-based T.E.M. Mrwetyana Secondary School is currently the talk of the town due to their recent achievements. The school is not only making great progress academically, but is showing outstanding results on the sports field too. Recently, Likhona Matshotyana excelled in the recent Eastern Cape amateur boxing championships and was voted the Best Male Youth Boxer. Aphelele Mabombo took the honours in the recent learner presentation challenge that was hosted by Amazwi Literature Museum. Two other scholars, Liyabona Masinda and Masibulele Sigwela, have been chosen to be part of the team that will be travelling to Swaziland…
By Chris Totobela A handful of football supporters made their way to the Rhodes prospect fields on 13 and 14 May. On show was the Sarah Baartman district SAB regional league play-offs where the leaders of all four different streams battled out for the top spot. On 13 May in the first game, Alicedale-based Friendly City squandered a two-goal cushion and allowed Camdeboo Academy back into the game. City took the lead once more but poor communication at the back allowed Camdeboo back in the game again and they played out to a three-all draw. In the second game, Paterson-based…
By Chris Totobela Makana LFA Premier League games were postponed over the weekend of 13 and 14 May owing to bad weather conditions. This seemed to be a blessing in disguise as the Makhanda football fraternity had the chance to reflect on the current state of our local football. Many football fans, including many officials, believe that Makhanda has not reached the standard it is well known for and that the standard of football has dropped dismally instead. Grocott’s Mail spoke to some prominent football people about this reality. Rhodes University sports administrator, and executive member of Maru FC, Siya…
By Chris Totobela Football supporters made their way to the Rhodes Prospect Field for the Sarah Baartman district SAB regional league playoffs this past weekend. Leaders of four different football streams battled it out for the top spot in the league. The first game of the league was on Saturday, where Alicedale-based Friendly City squandered a two-goal opportunity and allowed Camdeboo Academy back into the game, City took the lead once more, but poor communication between players at the back allowed Camdeboo to even out the score which resulted in a three-all draw. In the second game, Patterson-based Really Chiefs…