ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END: Bloem Celtic team mates consoling tearful Limbikani Mzava after his penalty was saved by Mabokgwane, seeing The Clever Boys advance to the semi-finals with a 4-3 score. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
By Nqobile Dludla and Luca Kotton
Bivest Wits advanced to the semi-finals of the season’s first big tournament after trashing Bloemfontein Celtic 4-3 on penalties at the Bidvest Stadium on Friday night.
Wits goalkeeper Jackson Mabokgwane won the game for the Clever Boys bysaving an attempt from Celtic’s Limbikani Mzava with the game at 4-3 in the MTN8 tournament. The match ended goalless after 120 minutes of play.
First to take the penalty from The Clever Boys was newly signed midfielder Dillon Sheppard who sent Bloem Celtic goalkeeper, Patrick Tignyemb flying the opposite direction giving his team a 1-0 lead.
Trying to catch up to The Clever Boys, Alfred Ndengane’s attempt was quickly deflected by Mabokgwane leaving the penalty score at 1-0.
Toriq Losper and Relato Lamola both added to the scoreboard, putting Bidvest Wits 2-1 over Celtic.
Despite the the crowd cheering on Clever Boys captain Sibusiso Vilakazi as he prepared to take a shot at penalty, he was denied by Tignyemb allowing Celtic to recover to 2-2 after Musa Lakay slotted his shot in. But Sthembiso Ngcobo quickly advanced the home team, earning Wits a 3-2 lead.
The unavoidable scoring machine, Joel Mogorosi caught up with The Clever Boys, equalising the score. While Phunya Sele Sele were still enjoying the equal scoreline, Onismor Bhasera sent Tignyemb flying the opposite direction, putting The Clever Boys in the lead with 4-3.
The goalless draw
The opening half saw Bidvest Wits failing to capitalise on promising goal opportunities. New defender Buhle Mkhwanazi’s header failed to materialise after receiving a corner kick from man of the match, Toriq Losper, sending it well wide.
While a failed free kick from Jabulani Shongwe had Bloem Celtic goalkeeper, Tignyemb reminding The Clever Boys why he is the best at what he does, the Witsies maintained pressure on the Bloem Celtic back line.
Coming in for a rebound, Losper’s header was denied by Tignyemb after receiving a well angled pass from Henrico Botes.
Bidvest Wits’ were often awarded corner kicks much to the frustration of Bloem Celtic coach, Ernst Middendorp, who spent a good part of the match jumping up and down on the sidelines and punching the air in frustration.
“There were a lot of fouls from Wits to which the referee refused to take notice of”, Middendorp said after the match.
Despite Midderndorp’s frustration, Bloem Celtic’s Ruben Cloete managed to break the Clever Boys back line only to have his attempt fly over the top of Mabokgwane’s goal post.
While the game gained momentum towards the dying minutes of the second half, the score still stood at 0-0 at stoppage time witnessing the game move into 30 minutes of extra time.
Bidvest Wits coach, Gavin Hunt told Wits Vuvuzela after the match: “We had a couple of opportunities and they [Bloem Celtic] also had a good couple of opportunities. I thought they battled well; they worked hard and outfought us but we stuck and held our ground”.
Early Preparation: First week of the second semester and already Michael Fellington is studying. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Law students have mixed reactions to an announcement that they will no longer be able to write supplementary exams, provided that they are in their final year.
The thought of repeating a year if you fail an exam has left some Law students worried about the length of their degree.
Sanele Maluleke, 4th year LLB, said: “I don’t think it’s fair because the degree itself is hard to attain. In first year you get students who’d get 48% and 49% and need the supp to qualify for the next year. So this has an impact on the duration of when you finish your degree. I mean supps are what actually saves most students because not every student can be an A student”.
In May, an e-mail was sent to all students at the School of Law announcing that “from 2014, after the June exams, going forward the School of Law will only award supplementary exams to final year students in the LLB degree”.
Final year students will be allowed to write a supplementary examination in one course they have failed with a mark of 40%- 49%. If a student fails more than one course, he/she will have to repeat that course the following year.
First to third year students who achieve less than 50% will have to repeat the course the following year.
Zinzile Ndziba, 4th year LLB, complained that the decision “was just thrown at everyone”.
“There was no substantiating [it], it’s just something people have to accept,” Ndziba said.
“It’s not fair,” said 3rd year LLB student Anastasia Thomaids. “Supplementary exams give you pretty much a second chance when you get into an exam and fail it. Not getting that supplementary exam means that you not only don’t get a second chance to write the exam but it means that you have to repeat the course the next year and have to pay extra.”
Quality over quantity?
Other students, however, endorsed the decision based on quality over quantity.
“[I’m] Totally okay with it. That’s why we are at this institution, we’re number one now so I’m cool with it. To meet standards,” said Moswaredi Matabane, 3rd year LLB.
In the same breath, 3rd year LLB student Lis Ndlovu said: “I do think that in the long run it will produce a better quality of students. Essentially, you will work harder instead of working towards getting that 47% or 49% in the hopes of a supplementary exam. It may seem unfair but I understand the benefit that it has for the Law School and the calibre of students that the Law School sends out into the world.”
While the quality over quantity debate seems attractive to some students, Maluleke begs to differ. “I know that there’s a thing for keeping up the standard but I don’t think that it should be at the expense of the students that are in the very university that is putting them on the map,” said Maluleke
Deputy head of school, Prof. Mtende Mhango, said the decision was based on research and recommendations made by the faculty.
Assistant Dean of Commerce, Law and Management, Linda Spark is the main person behind the research conducted for the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee.
“I have presented it [research] to SET who sent it back to faculties and is still being considered. This research is part of a university wide investigation into supps and is still work in progress”, said Spark
Law Student Council (LSC) academic officer Mfundo Mdluli said: “We are engaged with talks with management. We are waiting for feedback which we are expecting by the end of the week.” Asked what kind of talks the LSC is having with management, Mdluli said he’d rather “wait until all is done and there is progress” before he discloses what the LSC is doing regarding the outcry.
Going up the ranks: Goal Scorer Miya Mathaphela (left) from Medhurst during a game against Jubilee which saw them earning a 25-9 victory. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The top three Wits Netball Internal League (WNIL) teams are not planning on backing down until they get the coveted title once the season resumes next week Tuesday.
This semester will see all teams continuing to prove why they are the best at what they do.
This of course won’t come without a fight, as the other teams attempt to dethrone the Medics who are the current defending champions since 2011.
“We’re only coming back stronger than we were before,” said Medics captain, Florencia Mnisi.
“We strive to be the best. In doing so, we’ve got to keep improving our skills and being better than we were before.”
Medics are leading with 12 points followed by the new residence team, Noswal Hall, and Medhurst, both also with 12 points on the log. What puts Medics in the lead is their goal difference (GD) score sitting at 129 compared to Noswal Hall at 66 and 64 for Medhurst.
These top three of the 12 performing teams won all four of their matches last semester.
Medics’ history as defending champs, after dethroning the once most-feared team Jubilee, is posing a threat to other teams yearning to attain the title. Last year Medhurst walked away with bronze medals in third place while Jubilee lost to Medics and came second.
“We’re like a target everyone wants to get to, so we get pressure because we need to hold on to our title. We are all after victory,” said Mnisi
New kids on the block
True to Mnisi’s assessment, new kids on the block Noswal Hall “want it all”.
“A juggle of the positions would be more interesting, I mean why introduce something new if we want to keep things constant? I believe competition is healthy, keeps everyone on their toes. I would like to think it’s motivating,” said Keneilwe Manda, acting captain of the Noswal team.
Noswal have been playing without a captain since the season began in April. This, however, has not held back the new kids from outperforming Junction by 14-9, Braam Centre by 45-7, Reith by 23-13 and Esselen by 21-8.
“Team work and cooperation is what has kept us together without a captain,” said Manda.
While fitness is a key area for improvement from last semester, Manda also emphasised “making a bigger name for the new kids on the block”.
“We are a team that wants to show that [people should] never underestimate a developing team,” said Manda.
Compared to the other two top teams, Noswal has new players who have not experienced the league before.
Speaking on the performance of the top three teams, WINL coordinator, Ofentse Moropa, said: “If you had asked me before the season started, I would have said that they [Medics] would win without a doubt. However, it is Noswal’s first time in the league and they look like they’ll be the dark horse of the competition and might cause major upsets.”
Indeed, at number three, Medhurst realises that to move up on the score board will take a lot of commitment and effort from the whole team.
Medhurst faced last year’s second-place winners Jubilee last semester in a disappointing match that left Jubilee wondering what had hit them with the score 25-9 in Medhurst’s favour.
“We plan on going up the ranks and the only way to do that is to stay focused and practising and giving each game our best. We are hoping to be number one. We would love to take the trophy home this year,” said Medhurst captain, Apel Kunene.
Millions of people perform their daily routines in not so desirable places and are perceived as easy targets for criminals. While the idea of screaming out for help sounds promising, self-defence is one of the ways to help oneself in a sticky situation. But how does one defending herself?
The Wits All Styles Karate Club held its annual female self-defence class on Wednesday in hope of raising awareness of the importance of self-defence. Wits Vuvuzela joined in.
THE CHAMPIONS: A victorious tournament leaves the Celtics players jumping for joy.
Photo: Nqobile Dludla
By Nqobile Dludla and Lutho Mtongana
Bloemfontein Celtic walked away with the spoils at an inaugural pre-season event hosted by Bidvest Wits in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Celtic won the inaugural Charity Showdown at Bidvest Stadium following well fought battles over fellow premier league sides Bidvest Wits and AmaZulu. Mpumalanaga Black Aces also participated in the four-team tournament.
Celtic – the Phunya Sele Sele – beat out hosts Bidvest Wits 1-0 in the semi-finals and took the tournament with a 2-0 win in the final over Amazulu.
Not a tough nut to crack after all
The Clever Boys started off on the right foot, with newly-signed defenders, Buhle Mkhwanazi and Kees Kwakman pairing up to form a strong defence team alongside Siyabonga Nhlapo.
But this wall could not resist the pressure from Gabonamong Mogogi’s header received from Heinrich Issacs’ corner kick, earning Celtic a 1-0 lead.
Early into the first half, Sibusiso Vilakazi was denied a rebound free-kick by Celtic goal keeper, Patrick Tignyemb.
Celtic Joel Mogorosi proved to be a danger coming on strong in the second half, threatening to give Celtic two more goals, but Moeneeb Josephs denied the Celtic player’s attempts.
Despite their efforts, Wits failed to equalise, leaving the score at 1-0.
Celtic coach, Ernst Midlendorp was pleased to see his team advance to the final stage but said the performance “in certain departments definitely was not the standard you want to be competitive in, in the PSL.”
“The outcome was okay. We had a good defensive performance. We have worked on it in the past 3 weeks a little bit more but the movement combat, the build up, the right decision making, the final action, not positioning up and all the stuff you need to be dangerous in to counter your opponent, I think was very poor from our side,” said Midlendorp.
Conquering the Zulu warriors
True to Midlendorp’s assessment, the final clash with AmaZulu, also known as Usuthu, started off sluggish, with AmaZulu dominating the first half.
Michael Ntechane, 20, a Celtics fan, after the first half said, “They (Celtics) are under pressure and I feel they should improve in the second half if they want to win.”
Celtics came back strong in the second half where they managed to score two goals by Vuyani Ntanga and Gabadinho Mhango, giving Celtics the victory.
The two goals however, were not without struggle as Amazulu kept them on their toes with what was believed to be the “best defence” of the day.
AmaZulu booked their place in the final by beating Mpumalanga Black Aces 2-1 in the second semi-final.
The stadium was filled with Celtics supporters who sat through the cold and overcast day, sharing the victory with their team through music and dance, even after the game ended. The team itself was particularly pleased with their win over Bidvest Wits.
“Well, you know its football, you win or lose, we knew that they (Bidvest Wits) are competitive and they have been winning most of the games we played against them so we thought we should come and see what would happen and fortunately we were the ones who won today”, Celtics captain, Wandisile Letlabika said to Wits Vuvuzela.
Despite the knockout in the first semi-final on home soil, Bidvest Wits coach, Gavin Hunt said it was a good game.
“We had a lot of opportunities to score in early stages of the game and I’m sure we’ll be better as the season goes on,” said Hunt.
The inaugural Charity Showdown tournament was aimed at raising funds for The Lunchbox Fund through playing soccer while enjoying a fun filled family day with exciting activities such as face painting, sack racing, snake and ladders for children and live performances. The event raised close to R150 000 by the end of the day.
Wits Football Club (Wits FC) players, Mahle Mtabane and Brylon Petersen are among the 18 players selected on Wednesday to represent University Sports South Africa (USSA) Football in the upcoming under-21 national championships.
Mtabane and Petersen were two of three players sent by Wits University for selection from among 31 players representing 11 institutions across the country.
Selection for the squad of 18 USSA players happens after intense trials facilitated by the USSA football under-21 camp which took place this week at the University of Pretoria.
USSA football manager, Machesa Kgomo said the players selected stood out for a number of reasons. “They met the range that will represent the organisation well in the tournament based on certain factors such as their condition, commitment, discipline throughout the game and the ability to take us to the finals”, said Kgomo.
The USSA team along with nine provincial teams will participate in the tournament from July 13-20 at North-West University’s Mafikeng campus.
The chamionship known as the SAB League is South Africa’s largest senior grassroots football league facilitated by the South African Football Association (SAFA).
Lebo Radebe and Sibusiso Chiba are two of the many homeless people prowling the city of Johannesburg.
They are scavengers for food, for drugs, for shelter on the bitterly cold pavements, for anything that can make their lives a little better.
Poverty and hunger have brought these two young men together.
They are among the more than 24 million people who go hungry in South Africa. With unemployment and poverty levels rising, the number of people who are food secure could increase. While other people scavenge for food in the waste dumps and dustbins, Sbusiso and Lebo collect and sell scrap metal.
Although they support each other and look out for one another, they are not always in agreement about their value system as they eke out a life on the street.
This video is a production of the 2014 Wits Journalism short course in television.
Wide-eyed and eager school learners from across Johannesburg flocked to catch a glimpse of the creepy and slimy creatures at annual Yebo Gogga Yebo amaBlomo exhibition at Wits this week.
Hosted by the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences the exhibition of curious bugs, plants and animals provides a fun but educational experience.
The theme for this year’s exhibition is Rainbow World which looks at colour in nature and science.
Donald McCullum, exhibition director and botanist said: “Colour is so important, it does so many things. The way people communicate, and animals and things use colour. It something that can warn things, it something that can deceive.
You can get an animal that’s mimicking a dangerous animal in its colours and so it gets the benefit of that dangerous animal’s street cred.”
Kids, parents and even grandparents filled the colourful Oppenheimer Life Sciences jungle as they explored the exhibition that also involved tailor-made talks and demonstrations from experts.
One of the main attractions, was “Miss Piggy” the Green Iguana as she is called, who silently flaunted her bright green colour as the grade one school kids stroked her “beard” as one kid said.
One would think that these kids would be terrified of “Wilson” the Corn Snake, but eagerly they pushed and shoved in front to get a better view and feel of Wilson.
DOWN TO EARTH: Log leaders VUT’s hammering machine was deflected by Wits FC Men’s side in a well-sustained 0-0 draw, only adding a point to both sides. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Wits FC Men’s side brought log leaders Vaal University of Technology (VUT) down to earth with a 0-0 draw at Bidvest Wits Stadium on Tuesday.
The draw was VUT’s first disappointment this season after having won all six of their games so far in the University Sport South Africa (USSA) Gauteng football league, making them the log leaders with 16 points.
With only eight points and in fourth position, Wits came prepared on Tuesday to send a message of intent. Wits FC is looking for a top four qualifying position for the USSA National Championships. Wits coach Karabo Mogudi told Wits Vuvuzela that his team came prepared to face VUT.
“We managed to contain VUT, considering that they play high level football. We did assess them. We watched their game last week at UJ and assessed their strengths and weakness. VUT actually came back to us now and said ‘Hey, you prepared well’,” said Mogudi.
In addition to team assessments, Wits has added two new centre backs in hopes of growing and strengthening the team as they prepare to take on more tougher opponents when the season resumes in August.
Though the match was without any goals, Mogudi said the Wits team was to be commended for holding their log leading opponents to a scoreless draw.
“It’s a positive that we did not concede against a team that really attacks people. They came out guns blazing and we managed to contain them and that’s a positive from us. We had some clear goal scoring opportunities but if it wasn’t for the brilliance of their goal keeper, we’d be smiling now with three points in the bag,” said Mogudi.
While the draw was a positive outcome for Wits, the team will have to maintain the same stamina when the season resumes in August when they take on UJ and TUT Pretoria, two teams who are tough opponents to look out for.
Game on lock down
Wits threatened to score as early as the sixth minute when Innocent Magasela’s free-kick, assisted by Wonderboy Frank’s header, was saved by VUT’s goalkeeper. Four minutes later, Wits made another attempt, this time a corner kick from Zachary Cohen whose shot was deflected by the VUT goalkeeper. Magasela came back on the rebound, with a kick that went over the goal post, sending chills down the fan’s spines.
In the second half, with the score at 0-0, Wits wasted no time to attack when Neo Makua impressed with a brilliant dribble, breaking VUT’s back line, and fed the ball to Tshepo Motsukunyane whose right foot shot was unfortunately saved by the goalkeeper.
VUT’s hammering machine struggled to threaten Wits as the game neared its dying seconds leaving the final whistle to blow with the score comfortably sitting at 0-0.
RE-POSITIONING: From left to right, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Andrew Crouch, Assistant Director of Research, Anne McLennan, Chair of the Advisory Member board, Prof Richard Levine and Head of School (WSG) Prof Thomas Mogale. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The Wits Graduate school of Public & Development Management (P&DM) officially changed its name yesterday at a ceremony at the Donald Gordon auditorium in Parktown.
An extensive process of re-positioning the school in line with the current changing South African, African and global context culminated in the new name, the Wits School of Governance (WSG).
Prof Thomas Mogale, the head of WSG, said the school is founded on the premise of governance described as the process of ruling and steering others and the new name reflects this.
The school, based at the Parktown campus close to the Wits Business Schoo, has had the tag-line “Africa’s leading school of governance” for some time and which points to the nexus between the school and the concept of governance.
“The name change allows the school to reflect current thinking whilst still retaining the commitment of building capable developmental public administration. Essentially the new name enables the school to shape trends and influence moves while inspiring a new generation of thinkers,” explained Mogale.
Deputy vice-chancellor: academic, Prof Andrew Crouch said: “By repositioning the WSG, as the University we’d like to demonstrate our continued commitment to leading scholarship and contributing to the global commons of knowledge, specifically in this crucial field which we have in fact leaders of various kinds”.
The Wits School of Governance was formed in 1993 and claims to be southern Africa’s largest producer of graduates in the area of governance.
WHAT FUTURES WITH(OUT) MANDELA?: The essays in this companion according to editor, Rita Barnard, redefine politics in new ways. (Left to right), Verne Harris, Director of research for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Rita Barnard, book editor and Mbongiseni Buthelezi, Professor at the Centre for Law and Society, UCT. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
He may be gone but studies of his life and work will probably never end.
Yet another book on Nelson Mandela was launched on Monday evening at Wits University as part of the re-opening of the Mandela archives.
WiSER and the Nelson Mandela Foundation reopened the Mandela archives through the launch of scholarly work, The Cambridge Companion to Nelson Mandela, a collection of essays written by experts in history, anthropology, cinema, literature and anthropology.
Their essays address a number of key issues, among them, the former statesman’s relation to “tradition” and “modernity.”
“The new contributions of this book, put emphasis on politics redefined in a few different ways. This is a book in which the politics of the body is taken seriously.
Various chapters in the book focus on how Mandela looked, how he presented himself visually.
The book also focuses on the politics of gender as Brenna Munro conceptualises in the “Nelson, Winnie, and the politics of gender” chapter,”, said editor Rita Barnard.
The book launch was used a means of celebrating the reopening of the Mandela archives which are located at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton, Johannesburg.
Described as the ‘personal archive’ of Mandela, the collection is housed in the former offices of the late Mandela.
Among other guests who attended the launch were Mandela’s close friends and confidants George Bizos and Ahmed Kathrada, along with former first lady, Zanele Mbeki.
FIRST ROUND: The dying seconds of the last chukka saw Maties Men’s hockey side net in 2 goals which added to the 5-1 victory over the Wits Men’s hockey side. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
The Maties Men’s hockey side were true to form as they secured a 5-1 victory over Wits Men in the opening match of the Varsity Hockey tournament on Saturday.
The Wits side, playing on their home ground, had anticipated a tough match against the team from Stellenbosch, seen as their toughest competitors.
Dribble away
Two minutes into the first chukka, Maties earned themselves a short corner which was quickly deflected by Wits defence line.
Maties keeping Wits inside their half of the court regained the ball as they attempted another denied goal which resulted in another short corner.
The second short corner looked promising as Maties’ Shannon Boucher gained a rebound from Keenan Horne.
After a failed short corner by Wits, Barry Morisse managed to shoot a clean shot after a brave dribble inside the Maties’ D (the shooting arc), with only just two minutes left of the first chukka.
Maties then equalised with a well executed goal. With just a minute left, Wits’ Brian Rowe attempted a brave shot which went over the goal post, leaving the first chukka score at 1-1.
Wasting no time in the fast paced match, Maties regained the ball quickly after Wits threw a wide overhead in the second half.
What seemed like a failed short corner as Maties’ Shannon Boucher’s drag got deflected, Rob Edwards gave Maties a 2-1 lead as he slapped the ball into the goal post from the top D nine minutes into the 2nd chukka.
Wits fell short as a well executed dribble from Stuart Philip to Michael Daniel who slapped a strong pass towards the top D was received by no one, making Wits fall behind.
In the last chukka, Wits came back with much needed determination to score as Brandon Downes beautifully swept the ball to Craig Daniel who executed a meticulous dribble to James Daniel, witnessing a deflected goal attempt coming from James Daniel which made Wits supporters cringe.
Maties’ Jordan Turnbull scored the 3rd goal and was rewarded as the man of the match. The last dying seconds of the last chukka saw Maties score 2 goals, making the final score 5-1 over Wits.
Applauding his team’s hardwork, Wits Men’s coach, Mark Sanders said: “We played very well. I think that Maties were a little bit surprised by us going up one null and they had to fight a little bit harder and not a walk in the park as they had expected. We can take a lot of positives from this.”
“Definitely we can improve on the marking, a little bit tighter. I think we gave away some easy goals from the marking. We just need to step it up I mean we had good chances to score we just needed to be a little bit more clinical in the last 25,” Sanders said.
The second round will see Wits take on NMMU (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University).
Since her announcement as the Democratic Alliance’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, Helen Zille has dominated national headlines. In this bonus episode of We Should Be Writing podcast, hosts Lulah Mapiye and Bonolo Mokonoto dissect a media meet-and-greet with the mayoral hopeful. From her extensive political résumé to her controversial public utterance, we examine why the Democratic Alliance has chosen Hellen Zille as their candidate for the 2027 local mayoral elections. Additionally, […]
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