Author: sipongco

The South African u20 men’s national team (Amajita), has been officially announced and will gather for a pre-tournament training camp on Sunday, 22 September, in preparation for the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) u20 Championship.

The Cosafa Champs will be hosted in Maputo, Mozambique, from 25 September to 5 October and the stakes are high as both finalists will secure themselves a place in the 2025 CAF u20 Africa Cup of Nations.

Amajita Head Coach Raymond Mdaka‘s squad includes some of South Africa’s most exciting football talent, including Emile Witbooi, who turned 16 at the end of August.

He made a significant impact for the u17 national team during the Fifa u17 TDS Tournament held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire earlier this month, helping the team to two victories over Tanzania and a remarkable 7-4 triumph against Algeria.

In recognition of his outstanding performance, Witbooi, despite his youth, has also been included in Cape Town FC’s line-up for the 2024/25 Betway Premiership.

The squad has been further strengthened by two overseas-based players, Fletcher Smthye-Lowe, who plays for Astoria Praia in Portugal, and Shandre Campbell, who turns out for Club NXT in Belgium.

Speaking to the South African Football Association (Safa), coach Mdaka emphasised the importance of the South African team doing well at the Cosafa Championships.

“Although some clubs failed to release the players we requested for this important tournament, I believe we have selected a strong, quality squad and will be able to achieve our objectives,” he said. “Our objective for the Cosafa Championships was clear from the day I came into office. We must go to the 2025 u20 Fifa World Cup, and to do so, we need to be in the top two of the Championships.

“We are grateful to all the clubs who have released their players, and we will ensure that we accomplish the mission at hand,” he added.

South Africa has been drawn in Group C for the Cosafa Championship and will open their challenge with a match against Malawi on Friday, 27 September. Two days later, they take on Lesotho, which will be followed by a last group outing against The Comoros on 1 October.

Should Amajita progress, they’ll be in semi-finals action on 3 October.

Position	Name & Surname	Club
Goalkeepers
	Smythe-Lowe	Astoria Praia
	Mazhamba Takalani	Kaizer Chiefs FC
	Ratisani Kgoleng	Sekhukhune FC
Defenders
	Mbokazi Mbekezele	Orlando Pirates FC
	Smith Tylon	Stellenbosch FC
	Taunyana Gopolang	Kaizer Chiefs FC
	Tiwani Asekho	Mamelodi Sundowns FC
	Timba Sifiso	Kaizer Chiefs FC
Midfielders	Kekana Gomolemo	Mamelodi Sundowns FC
	Kgosana Ofentse	Kaizer Chiefs FC
	Vilakazi Mfundo	Kaizer Chiefs FC
	Mabena Siyabonga	Mamelodi Sundowns FC
	Maku Lazola	SuperSport United FC
	April Shakeel	Cape Town City FC
	Autata Lefa	TS Galaxy
	Cambell Shandre	Club NXT
	Manyama Xhosa	Cape Town City FC
	Witbooi Emile	Cape Town City FC
Forwards	Letlhaku Kutlwano	Mamelodi Sundowns FC
	Mahlangu Thabang	SuperSport United FC

 

Herschel Girls School hosted its annual u14 Pink Fest Basketball Tournament at the Herschel Indoor Center, on Friday, 13 September, bringing together some of the leading schools and basketball clubs from the region for competition in the u14 age group.

In the A Division, the Eagles Basketball Club claimed the title, edging out the hosts in an intense clash. There was next to nothing in it, with the Eagles snatching a 16-14 victory. Westerford High School finished third.

St. Cyprian’s emerged as the winner of the B Division after a 12-8 victory over Waldorf Constantia in the final. Herschel’s u14B team had to settle for third place.

AWARDS

Most Spirited Team: Westerford High School
Best Defender: Amy Adams (Herschel Girls)
Best Shooter: Abby de Jongh (Waldorf Constantia)
B Division MVP: Teagan Giles (St. Cyprian’s)
Best Technical Team: St. Cyprian’s
Sportsmanship Award: Katherine Esselaar (Eagles Basketball Club)
A Division MVP: Jodi Bao (Eagles Basketball Club)

TOP 3 

A Division

1. Eagles Basketball Club
2. Herschel Girls u14A
3. Westerford High School

B Division

1. St. Cyprian’s Girls
2. Waldorf Constantia
3. Herschel Girls u14B

South Africa’s Connor Doig and Maayan Laron, from Israel, were crowned the boys’ and girls’ champions of the J200 International Tennis Foundation (ITF) Tournament, which concluded at Curro Hillcrest on Saturday.

The event brought together highly-ranked u18 players from across the world, which was a big boost for the sport in South Africa.

Officially sanctioned by Tennis South Africa, the tournament was the latest to be hosted by Curro Holdings at Curro Hillcrest. It will be followed by a J300 ITF event, also at Curro Hillcrest, from 16 to 21 September.

Boys’ Final

Doig (16), who hails from Westville, took out Australia’s Ty Host (17) 6-0, 7-6, after settling in quickly and capturing the first set in double-quick time. It was a set of contrasts as unforced errors cost Host, while Doig could do no wrong.

Credit to Host for a gritty and determined effort in the second set. He broke Doig early to establish a 3-0 lead, which opened up the possibility of the Australian forcing the contest into a deciding third set. However, he continued to be plagued by unforced errors, and his good work was undone as Doig broke back and held serve to level at 3-3. The players shared a few more breaks before they headed into a tie-break.

With the match on the line, some close line calls bothered Host, who fell away as Doig raced to a 7-0 win in the tie-break to claim the set 7-6, and with that, the title.

“It’s the first time I have played Ty and he is a strong player,” Doig said afterwards. “He came back well in the second set and I had to dig deep to stay in the set, let alone go on and win.

“This is my biggest tennis win to date and I hope to stay on the same level next week.”

It was a case of what could have been for Host. “I took some time to settle and that’s just nerves. I started the second set well but credit to Connor for how he fought back,” he said.

Girls’ Final

It was an all-Israel girls’ final as Laron (17) took on fellow countrywoman and No. 2 seed Mika Buchnik (17) in a match of attrition that lasted just short of two hours, with Laron earning a 7-5, 6-2 victory.

The clash saw more service breaks than holds and rallies of 15 or more shots were the norm.

The first set lasted an hour and 15 minutes as fortunes swung back and forth like a pendulum, with each service break being immediately nullified by another.

Leron edged 6-5 ahead after another service break and when she managed to hold her serve, she had closed out the set 7-5.

It was a case of more of the same in the second set, with Laron enjoying two early breaks to open up a 3-0 advantage. That proved to be too much for Buchnik to make up.

“It was a tough, tiring match and I had to work hard and concentrate. I have played Mika before and have now won our last two matches,” Laron said. “I’m in the right place heading into the coming week’s J300 tournament.”

Buchnik, while satisfied with her week’s work, was frustrated with her loss. “Maayan is like a wall as she just keeps getting the ball back. It was a hard match and mistakes at vital times cost me,” she said.

Buchnik had to be content with another runner-up finish in the girls’ doubles, with the Russian pair of Anna Bazderova and Ksenia Smirnova beating Buchnik Anna Maria Fedotova (Dominican Republic), the top seeds, 6-1, 6-3.

In the boys’ doubles final, the third seeds, Nikolai Barsukov (Germany) and Jacob Olar (USA), beat second seeds, Ivan Lutkin (Russia) and Kriish Tyagi (India), 6-0, 1-6, 11-9.

It has been just three weeks since Tuks introduced and welcomed Katlego Malebana to their senior women’s team for the remainder of the 2024 Hollywoodbets Super League season.

Then, on Thursday, she won the School Star of the Year Award, presented by GSport4Girls.

It has been a remarkable year for Malebana, who took great pride in leading South Africa to the title at the u15 CAF African Schools Football Tournament in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Following that memorable victory, she told the Mamelodi Sundowns’ media team: “I feel very proud of myself for being able to lead my team to victory in the CAF Championship and for having my first captaincy in the national team, bringing a gold medal and trophy to South Africa. It was a humbling and emotional experience.”

The 15-year-old, who excelled within the Mamelodi Sundowns development programme, scored a crucial penalty after the final against Morocco had finished in a 1-1 draw in regulation time. South Africa went on to win it 5-4 from the spot.

Following the landmark win, she expressed the hope that it would serve as inspiration for others. “This victory shows that with hard work and dedication, we can achieve great things. I hope my success encourages other young girls to pursue their dreams in football,” she said.

Malebana was also a member of the Mamelodi Sundowns team that won the Gauteng Engen Cup, edging out the University of Johannesburg 4-3 in a penalty shootout, following a 0-0 stalemate. She captained both the u15 and u20 Sundowns’ teams and led the u20s to the final of the Pirates Cup earlier this year, where they were defeated by JVW.

The head coach of Tuks, Maude Khumalo was pleased with what she saw from the club’s new player on her debut, which came in a 1-0 victory over Lindelani Ladies, saying that Malebana had displayed good skill.

“The idea is to give her a feeling of what it means to be a part of the team because she is the youngest, and also to look at her understanding of what is happening on the field. I thought if we scored more goals, I wanted to give other players a chance, but I just decided to give her a chance to see if she was going to cope.

“I told her she must be relaxed, she must not panic, and remember the age gap. She is 15 years old…but she has an understanding of the game. It’s more about her understanding the dynamics of the game because she wants to be more settled but the opponents were coming on strong and she came into the game when the tempo was increasing.

“I am happy with her. She has the understanding, the touches, the movement of the ball,” said Khumalo. “I think, going into the next game, she will be more confident than she was today.”

Maritzburg College were crowned the 2024 champions of the Cowie Cup after defeating the 2023 titleholders, Port Shepstone, on Barns’ Field on Friday afternoon, to reclaim the title they last held in 2022.

College secured an impressive 2-0 victory, with both goals being scored in the second half of the match after they upped their attacking pressure.

The team’s prolific striker Mazithi Qasha scored the opener for College, getting onto the end of a long through-ball before calmly lofting the ball over the ‘keeper.

Then, just two minutes later, Philasande Khuzwayo delivered an impressively composed strike from outside the box, curling the ball around a defender and into the goalkeeper’s bottom left-hand corner to effectively seal the win for the Red, Black, and White.

College asserted their dominance in the final from the onset, with Zipho Makangela skillfully penetrating the Port Shepstone defences down the right flank. Cheered on by their strong home support, College exhibited superior control of the game with their trademark short, sharp, passing game, and they also appeared more threatening than their rivals.

However, Port Shepstone also had their moments, with Thule Cele narrowly missing a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half after successfully evading the offside trap. For most of the contest, however, College’s high defensive line caught out the south coast side, who were blown up time after time for straying way offsides.

“The offside trap is something that we have been working on for the last three years,” College coach Chemon Petersen told SuperSport Schools Plus after the match. “You will never perfect it, but you will come close, and they did exceptionally well in communicating and judging when to do it. There were many times when Port Shepstone could have got in behind us and made it a one-on-one game with the ‘keeper. But we were very good.”

By not conceding a goal, Maritzburg College was halfway to victory, and as Petersen said: “Offence wins you games, defence wins you championships. That sums it up for us. The defensive unit was amazing.”

While Makangela challenged Port Shepstone down the right flank throughout the game, College held back on trying their luck down the left-hand side during the first half. That was because Sheppie threatened down their right on the counterattack, Petersen explained.

At half-time, however, College decided to go on the attack, which included bringing on Nzolo Ngcemu as a third striker. The home side brought the left flank into play much more through wing-back Braydon Middleton and they were rewarded for that decision.

Another move that paid dividends was switching Malachi Momple to defensive midfielder. College’s Director of Soccer, Nic Haswell, was effusive in his praise of Momple’s contribution. “He’s a very special player with an unbelievably gifted left foot. He always seems to have time on the ball and nothing flusters him,” Haswell said.

“We switched him to defensive midfielder in the second half to get more control over the passing in the game. We felt we had a lot of the ball, but we weren’t making key passers from that key central defensive midfield position.

“What an eye for a pass he has. He knows how to weight a pass, when to play the pass, and he can switch the play.”

Momple made a difference and impressed with his decision-making and the range of his passes. He moved the ball around well, keeping it short and sharp when needed, executing one-twos to get the attack rolling, and finding players out wide with beautiful raking long balls to stretch the Port Shepstone defence.

Haswell also praised College captain KG Matshoge for the example he set and his captaincy. “He’s a young man with such heart and maturity. It’s an absolute pleasure to work with him,” he said.

Reflecting on the win, which followed a victory in the annual Raw Cup clash against Durban High School (DHS) last week, Haswell continued: “You see how much it means to us and how hard we work. If it means this much to me, I can only imagine what it means to our players, particularly our matrics. They deserve this.

“They’ve been through some heartbreak. They were part of last year’s team and they thought that winning would happen naturally, as all teenagers do. They learned the hard way that you have to work for each and every result. To see them grow through that process and learn from their mistakes, you can’t ask for any more as coaches.

“They carried us in the Raw Cup and today, as well. I felt all of the matrics stood up, and were determined to win this game. That composure and leadership really rubbed off on the team.”

While Maritzburg College won three titles in 2023 – the KZN Inland League, the Primo Big 10, and the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands FA Cup – they didn’t win the Raw Cup or the Cowie Cup, so, after some near misses in 2024, it was pleasing for College to finish off the season by capturing the two titles they didn’t land last year.

Five different trophies in two years is quite some haul.

Coach Petersen summed up Maritzburg College’s Cowie Cup triumph: “Port Shepstone was a very good side. They didn’t give us too much space, they didn’t give us much to work with. But I think sticking to our guns and trusting what we’ve worked on carried us across the line.”

Curro Holdings is organising and sponsoring two International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior tennis tournaments, which run from 9-14 September and 16-21 September at Curro Hillcrest.

Sanctioned by Tennis South Africa (TSA), the events will showcase elite junior boys and girls under the age of 18 from across the world.

They follow the successful Curro Centre Court Series tournaments, which were held in Hillcrest in June and July, and they will feature some of the leading junior players in the world.

The first tournament, taking place from 9 to 14 September, is a J200 event, while the tournament which takes place from 16 to 21 September is a J300 event, a further step up the ladder.

They’re a continuation of past events hosted by Curro, which have been aimed at the top young tennis talent in the world.

“Tennis is a major sport in most of our schools and our involvement in promoting the sport at the international level allows many South African players the opportunity and stage to participate and be noticed,” Curro CEO Cobus Loubser said. “Several Curro learners have gone on to make that step into the professional ranks.”

Loubser said the high standard of tennis should attract a healthy flow of spectators over the two weeks.

“These junior players deliver an incredible level of high-class tennis and entertainment. People must realise that the big names in today’s world of tennis all started by playing in tournaments like these. Who knows what gems will be uncovered at Curro Hillcrest for future stardom on the courts of the world,” he added.

Leading the way in the girls’ division is Ada Kumru from Turkey, who occupies 85th place in the world junior rankings.

South Africa’s Danielle Chapman, ranked 195th globally, is the 20th seed in the main draw. Three other South African girls are competing in the qualifiers, among them 14-year-old Jahnie van Zyl, who garnered significant support from the crowds during the Curro Centre Court Series.

In the boys’ category, Petr Brunclik, from Czechia, is ranked an impressive 22nd in the world. He’s the top seed.

Four South African players, including John Bothma and Connor Doig, will participate in the main draw, with several others competing in the qualifying rounds.

The tournaments are set to deliver rich entertainment. For those seeing top juniors in action for the first time, it will be a surprising and exciting experience. The talent and skill in the junior ranks is immense.

Note: Selected matches at the tournaments will be aired on the Curro Sport YouTube channel.

The South African u17 men’s national team, known as “Amajimbos”, secured their second win in the FIFA u17 TDS Tournament on Thursday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, by overcoming Tanzania 4-3 in a penalty shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw in regulation time.

Amajimbos were also victorious on Tuesday when they won a high-scoring, fiercely contested clash with Algeria 7-4 in which both teams were pushed to their limits.

In Tanzania, Amajiombos faced a formidable adversary, with the Tanzanians employing aggressive tactics and a robust defensive strategy, which left little room for the South African players, who are recognised for their fluid and pressing style, characterised by two-touch play, to express themselves.

With only 10 minutes remaining in the match, Tanzania took the lead and, with the strike coming so late in the game, it appeared that they were on their way to victory. South Africa struck back, however, through Neo Bohloko, which sent the contest to the penalty spot after the final whistle sounded.

South African goalkeeper, Lehlohonolo Mosia, who earned his first international cap, stood tall in the shootout, pulling off three remarkable saves to snatch the win for Amajimbos.

Amajimbos’ Head Coach Vela Khumalo told South African Football Association (Safa) Media, that the match was a challenging one, which he had anticipated it would be.

He explained: “We had to see how we respond to physical teams with very solid defenders and we tried a new formation today that still needs work. We don’t see this as a victory because it was a draw in our books. But we are meeting our targets, so we are satisfied for today.”

Alakhe Mdluli made his debut for the AmaZulu Multichoice Diski Challenge team on Saturday, taking on Orlando Pirates at the King Zwelithini Stadium in Umlazi.

In a tight contest, neither team could find a way through, resulting in a goalless draw, but it was another step up the ladder for the talented Glenwood High football captain.

His teammates in the AmaZulu lineup include Aphiwe Buthelezi, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the FC Bayern International Youth Cup in 2023, which earned him an opportunity to join the FC Bayern World Squad in the United States to compete against other elite young footballers.  Mateo Horstead is also with AmaZulu. In 2023, he captained Maritzburg College to an unprecedented treble.

At Glenwood, Mdluli not only captains the side but is also the fulcrum around which it is built. He is a goal scorer and a goal provider and operates in various positions, including as a winger, an inverted winger, a central attacking midfielder, and as a striker. SuperSport Schools‘ commentator, Sibonelo Zulu, refers to him as “Joga Bonito” due to his flawless ball control and beautiful play.

Mdluli, nicknamed “Smiley”, has already appeared in youth internationals for Eswatini. He was called up to the national u17 team in 2021 and was recently selected for the Eswatini u20 team.

During 2024, he has led Glenwood to two titles, the u19 2nd Term KZNHSFA Coastal League and the Primo Big 10 Schools Cup. In both events, he was a standout performer, which included being named the man of the match in the league final against Westville Boys’ High School in which he provided an assist. He also played a pivotal role in his school’s triumph in the Primo Big 10, in which they defeated Durban High School 1-0 in the final.

In 2023, he helped the Green Machine to a runner-up finish in the Primo Big 10. This season, it was a case of third time lucky as Glenwood clinched the title for the first time, defeating Northwood, Maritzburg College and DHS twice each, on their way to the title.

Following a rigorous four-week process of elimination, featuring top teams from across KwaZulu-Natal, the Cowie Cup has been narrowed down to Maritzburg College and Port Shepstone High, who will meet for the title.

It’s also a showdown between the past two champions. College lifted the title in 2022 and Port Shepstone is the reigning champion.

In the semi-finals, played on Wednesday, Port Shepstone faced Pietermaritzburg’s Alexandra High. A tight contest finished in a 1-1 draw, which necessitated a penalty shootout to determine the winner.

In the shootout, Port Shepstone won the game 5-4, capitalising on a missed penalty by Alex, while they converted all of their spot kicks, to move on to the final.

Maritzburg College, who have been in the mix for titles in a number of tournaments this season, but have not yet won any silverware, withstood a stiff challenge from Westville Boys’ High to book their place in the title decider.

Playing at home, on Barns’, the Red, Black and White, who had beaten the Griffin 2-1 in a recent derby clash, also in Pietermaritzburg, won 1-0 the second time around.

Semi-final Results 

Maritzburg College 1-0 Westville
Port Shepstone (5) 1-1 ( 4) Alexandra High

Final 

Maritzburg College vs Port Shepstone (TBC)

Kaizer Chiefs announced on Thursday that Steven Mendes, known as Stevie G, has officially joined Swedish club Hammarby IF Fotbollförening.

Mendes, recognised as one the most, promising young football talents in South Africa, made a name for himself with Kaizer Chiefs, winning multiple titles with the Kaizer Chiefs Development Youth Team in the Gauteng Development League (GDL).

He joined Chiefs in August 2022 and turned out for the Amakhosi’s u15 GDL team. Earlier this season, he was promoted to Chiefs’ u17 side. He has also played for the club’s reserve team that competes in the DStv Diski Challenge (DDC).

“The 16-year-old Reserve Team player had a successful two-week trial with the Stockholm-based club from 11-25 August, and his impressive performance convinced them to sign him up immediately”, Kaizer Chiefs said in a press statement.

“Steven is a player with tremendous potential and the type of temperament to make it as a professional footballer, so we are excited at the prospect of him displaying his unique qualities on the European stage,” said the Amakhosi Sporting Director, Kaizer Motaung Jnr.

“We are proud of him and wish him every success on his exciting journey. It is another feather in the cap of the Kaizer Chiefs’ development structures, which continue to excel in cultivating the potential of young players and it demonstrates the excellent level of our academy.”

Mendes, from St Benedict’s College, has also represented South African national teams at u15 and u17 levels, getting onto the scoresheet on a number of occasions.

In the GDL, he was a defender’s nightmare, demonstrating exceptional technical skills while possessing impressively powerful shooting ability, much to the astonishment of opposition goalkeepers. Not surprisingly, because of this, he was a fan favourite.

Mendes is a strong contributor on both ends of the field, composed on the ball, and an accurate passer. His finishing is top-notch. For those reasons, he is viewed as a potential future full South African international. Playing abroad will help Stevie G further round his already impressive game.