Bidvest Wits thumped by Wits Football Club

by | Jan 31, 2019 | Sport

New Witsies introduced to the university’s sporting culture with the Pride All Star Game.

First-year Witsies were treated to some exceptional football as Wits Football Club thrashed a weakened Bidvest Wits side by four goals to nil at the Bidvest Stadium on Wednesday, January 30, in the Wits Pride All Star Game.

The Educated Footballers were in full strength in front of an eager Wits crowd, predominantly of first years, which was treated to performances from musicians, Busiswa and ZuluMkhatini, under the scorching midday sun.

On the opposite side was a weakened Clever Boys side, comprised of players from MultiChoice Diski Challenge side, who never quite settled into the friendly encounter.

Wits Football took an early lead with a Mahle Mtabane goal before captain Tshireletso Motsogi doubled the score with a headed goal from a well-delivered corner just before the break.

The second half started in similar fashion with Kurt Pienaar punishing a sloppy Bidvest defence after latching onto a through-ball and rounding the keeper before slotting the ball away to make it three.

The victory was sealed when Clinton Mphahlele beat two defenders and finessed the ball into the corner to the enjoyment of first-year Witsies who were evidently supporting the university side.

Motsogi was disappointed to not be playing in this year’s Varsity Football tournament after losing to the Tshwane University of Technology in last years’ final and failing to qualify in the University Sports South Africa (USSA) tournament last year but believed this season would allow the team to rebuild.

“Varsity football is one of the biggest tournaments for us so missing out on it takes a huge toll on us. But we have to keep pushing and hope that we win USSA the make it through.

Second-year BAccSci student, Kyran Jugdharee, shared his thoughts on the match from the grandstand, saying, “The game is going well. The halftime performances really got me hyped up. I’m just really enjoying watching the sport I love. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”

Daniel Badenhorst, a first-year BEng student, who was watching both teams live for the first time said that the encounter was a great way to show the first years about football at the university.

“The game was great. I liked the atmosphere. I enjoyed the dancing and the music. It was very engaging. It was a great activity for first years to get into the Wits culture as well as meet new people. It was a great experience.”

FEATURED IMAGE: Captain Tshireletso Motsogi dominates the centre of the park as the Educated Footballers show the Clever Boys who is the real boss of Wits.    Photo: Tshego Mokgabudi


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Filling the void

by | Oct 1, 2018

Growing up without a father has proven to be hard but his presence can fill a void that no one else can.  Growing up without a father, Phumi battled for a long time with the feeling of something major in her life being missing. She has grown up with a void that she...

SLICE OF LIFE: Social media has taken over my life

by | Apr 6, 2018 | Opinion

Social media continues its pursuit to take over my daily life. I am probably a better photojournalist on Instagram than most professionals and I have developed better investigative skills than the FBI.

I have come to a realisation that my activity on social media is far greater than the average joe. Or is it?

I constantly ask myself what life would be like without the various social media accounts that I have, and if the time and effort I put into each of them is actually worth it.

Posting pictures on Instagram used to be a daily activity until it became more like a full-time job. It takes me a good couple of hours to decide which photo I should put up on Instagram. I question every single thing about the photo.  Should it be in black and white? Would it look better if it had a filter that makes me look tanned? Does this photo match the scheme of my profile feed? I also struggle to find the perfect caption. Should it be funny, philosophical or even relate to my picture at all? I have spent countless hours scrolling through Pinterest trying to find a decent caption that fits my picture and then I just end up using an emoticon anyway. The amount of effort I put into posting one picture makes me wonder about the precious time I have just wasted.

It’s a bit of a catch-22 really. A world without social media would not allow me to do the small things in life that I enjoy. Facebook lets me check up on friends who I haven’t seen since high school. I can watch my cousins grow up in America without missing out on their milestones.

But social media sucks me in. One minute I’m watching a video of a man who ran the Two Oceans Marathon on crutches and two hours later, I’m watching a video of a dog barking to its favourite song.

My mornings usually begin with checking my cellphone and spending endless time checking my social media accounts. The process starts with WhatsApp, then I switch over to Facebook to check whose birthday it is (I would never remember otherwise). Then I have to catch up on what’s happening on Snapchat stories and liking pictures on Instagram. I watch people skydive in Dubai and think of all the activities I could be doing if I left my bed.

I finish off this ritual with a good scroll through Twitter, trying to find out the latest news in hopes that I will pass the week’s current news pop quiz. When I’ve completed all these chores, I finally feel ready to get out of bed.

As a student journalist, social media has become essential in my life. Twitter helps me stay tapped into up-to-the-minute news. I also share stories I have produced on there. Not everyone reads newspapers anymore and without social media, I’m not too sure how people find my stories.

Social media has truly become so rooted in my life that even my decisions are dictated by the things I see on Apps on my phone. Zomato decides where I want to go out for dinner. If I need to contact someone for a story, I tweet them.

At the end of the day, I’ve come to terms with my social media dependency. My relationship with my phone is not an abnormality, I actually think it’s become the norm in my generation.

If I had one rand for every time I looked at my social media accounts, I would be a millionaire.

Hold that thought while I go decide what photo I’m going to post on Instagram next.

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Wits Bucks continue winning streak

by | Oct 3, 2017 | Sport

THE FRIDAY Night Lights (FNL) division of the Inner City Super League (ICSL) kicked off early this month. The Wits Bucks won their second game in a row against the Braamfontein Blues on Tuesday night with a close 61-59 win at the Hall 29 courts.

FREE THROW: The Wits Bucks go head to head with the Braamfontein Blues on the courts on Tuesday night.                                                                     Photo: Chante Schatz

The home team was able to dominate the first quarter of the game shooting a couple of three pointers which put the Bucks ahead of the game. It was not until the second quarter of the fi rst half that the away side started running in on the Bucks to get close to their points. Wits Bucks coach Tshiamo Ngakane said, “It was a very close game that went down to the wire.”

Last week, the team beat the Corinthians with an impressive 63–38 win. The team hoped to do that again with the Braamfontein Blues, yet the opposition team proved to be challenging.
The second half of the game saw the Blues dominating the game as they managed to make an impressive comeback against the Bucks.

Pressure mounted in the last five minutes of the last quarter when the Bucks were just one point ahead of the opposition, but the home team managed to get a quick two-pointer shot in to conclude their win. “Wits was missing several players but were still able to pull a good result,” said Ngakane. The ICSL allows both men’s and women’s teams to participate, even interchangeably. “The great thing about FNL is that ladies are able to play with the men and our top national team ladies players, Fortunate Bosega and Ipeleng Nyalto, both played really well in the game,” he said.

The team was very happy with their win over the Blues as they knew they would take the game home. “It was a good game, the guys showed up and were strong throughout,” said team player Yuval Genga.

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Wits Vuvuzela, A successful sweep at USSA Basketball tournament, July 30, 2017