by Nqobile Dludla | Jul 20, 2014 | Sport
- 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.
See more photos from the event on our Facebook page.
by Luca Kotton | Jul 16, 2014 | Sport
Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt has opted for a mix of youth and experience in the team’s new signings. Photo: Bidvest Wits.
Nine new players have joined premier league side Bidvest Wits ahead of the start of the season in August.
Gavin Hunt, Bidvest coach, appears to have gone with a mix of youth and experience, with five of the new signings over 30-years-old.
Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela, Hunt said, “The team was very thin in defence, I lost some defenders last season so I had to replace them and strengthen the squad.”
“With the new guys on board, they bring a lot experience, played a lot games between them, versatile in their positions and that’s why we bought them.”
The experienced players include Platinum Stars striker Henrico Botes, Maritzburg United left-side player Dillon Shepard, Moroko Swallows defensive player Giorgi Nergadze, Zambian Christopher Katongo and Dutch Eredivisie star Kees Kwakman.
Hunt also opted for four young talents with Nedbank Cup young player nominee Vincent Pule And University of Pretoria star Buhle Mkhwanazi.
Thulani Hlatshwayo from Ajax Cape Town and 20-year-old Mthokozisi Msomi from Roses United, also join the squad which finished third in the league last season.
When Hunt was asked if he leans on either youth or experience, he said, “A bit of everything, we have lots of young players in the squad and the new signings were brought in to bring stability and help the young ones come on. The reason we came third was because we lacked experience and the combination of youth plus experience is what’s needed for season.”
Hunt will need the experience of the new signings as the team looks likely to participate in this year’s Confederations Cup based on a decision by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to increase the number of South Africa teams in the competition to four. Bidvest Wits together with Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates qualify for the tournament.
The Clever Boys will start their new season with a clash against Bloemfontein Celtic on August 1 at the Bidvest Stadium in Johannesburg.
by Nqobile Dludla | Jul 9, 2014 | Sport
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).
by Luca Kotton | Jul 6, 2014 | Sport
READY: Bidvest Wits under 17 team always come in as one of the possible winners for the Engen tournament. Photo: Provided
Wits University will play host to the country’s top junior soccer players when the under-17 Engen Knockout Regional Challenge comes to campus from July 18-20.
The tournament sees the best of Gauteng’s youth teams taking part in the sixteen team showpiece.
The winner of the event will face the other regional winners around the country to lift the champions-of-champions trophy in Soweto in October.
Gauteng is arguably the most competitive leg of the tournament hosting teams like Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Bidvest Wits and last years’ winners Mamelodi Sundowns.
Engen sponsorship manager Brad Bergh emphasised the tournament is a foundation for developing future Bafana Bafana stars who will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Thulani Serero, Katlego Pule and Asive Langwe all of whom have played in the tournament.
by Staff Reporter | Jun 12, 2014 | Sport
World Cup 2014 mascot Fuleco. Graphic: FIFA
The 2014 Fifa Football World Cup kicks off tonight with hosts Brazil taking on Croatia at 10pm. Wits Vuvuzela has confirmed that screenings of the matches will take place at the following venues in Braamfontein:
The venues will screen games during the day and at night.
Most of the bars and restaurants along 7th Avenue in Melville will also open their doors to soccer fans:
Many of these places are having specials on drinks and food throughout the month of the World Cup.
The Stanley Beer Yard, in 44 Stanley will also screen all of the games at night and stay open till late.
But this year’s hotspots for students and fans are the Biccard Street and De Korte Street (just outside the Easy Hotel) big screens.
Both were “mini” fan parks during the 2010 World Cup and Southpoint management hopes to see the same interest this time around.
Finally, all Wits residences, on and off campus will be screening the games. The Wits Postgrad Club will also screen all games for the enjoyment of staff members, postgraduates and alumni.
For the full match schedule, visit the official Fifa website. For daily screening times, visit the SABC website. On Twitter, follow #WC2014.
by Lameez Omarjee | Jun 12, 2014 | Sport
by Lameez Omarjee | Jun 12, 2014 | Sport
NEW KID IN TOWN: World Cup mascot Fuleco will become a familiar sight in the coming weeks of the tournament which starts tonight. Graphic: FIFA
Tonight, the one of the world’s biggest sporting showcases kicks off in Brazil. The 2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony will launch football’s biggest international spectacle and despite the absence of South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, Witsies are still looking forward to the month-long tournament.
“I am really excited about the World Cup. We wait four years to witness the best players competing against each other. A part of me is sad that South Africa won’t be participating in this World Cup,” said Phelelani Mpanza, Masters Business Sciences.
“I see Spain defending this one. They play really good football, but as an African, I will be supporting Ghana. BaGhana BaChana!”, added Mpanza.
“I think this is probably going to be one of the most competitive World Cups ever, which makes it highly unpredictable. But I think Brazil might take it this time around,” said Lloyd Uta, Masters Business Sciences, Marketing.
Some Witsies pledged their allegiance to African teams. “I’m supporting Ghana because it’s the closest one to home and they play good soccer,” said Pretty Makgabo, final year BAccSci.
Makgabo was excited about watching her favourite players, “I am looking forward to seeing Boateng, Gyan and Essien on the field.”
Makgabo is also looking forward to the opening ceremony, “I love those,” she said.
The European teams have a number of Witsies behind them. “I’m with Germany. I think Brazil is a cliche. I think Germany deserves to take it this time, Brazil has taken it too many times so personally I now have Brazil fatigue,” said Tinashe Chuchu, Masters Business Sciences.
Obakeng Motshome, final year BAccSci, is also keen on Germany. “I like their style of football. They really play to the whistle, they’ll keep scoring until the referee blows the final whistle.” Motshome expects an all-European final between Spain and Germany. “It would also be great to have the first European team to win the World Cup in South America,” he said.
Some Witsies were spoilt for choice. “I’m supporting Brazil, Germany, Portugal and Netherlands in that order,” said Hitekani Makhubele, final year BCom.
Makhubele holds a soft spot for Brazil as she says, “I got introduced to football in 2002, when I was 11 years old. And Brazil was wearing yellow which is my favourite colour.” She has been loyal to them since, “through two more World Cups and everything in between. I am expecting home ground advantage to make them go super saiyan… loyalties will be tested but Brazil to the end,” she said.
The opening ceremony will be televised later this evening with the first match between hosts Brazil and Croatia starting at 10pm, local time.
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by Luca Kotton | May 17, 2014 | Sport
RUNNER UP: Gavin Hunt, Bidvest Wits coach, shows his emotions during a home game against Kaizer Chiefs ealier this year. Photo: Nqobile Dludla
Orlando Pirates lifted the Nedbank Cup trophy today with a 3-1 victory over Bidvest Wits at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The Buccaneers have lost in three previous finals and this win over the Clever Boys finally gives their fans some needed relief along with a R7-million cheque for the club.
The 3-1 score line was not a true reflection of the game according to Bidvest coach, Gavin Hunt, who was visibly upset after the game.
Hunt said, ” The players are distraught, they know they were robbed.”
When asked if Bidvest Wits is looking to improve, he said,”Other institutions of football should improve, it was a disgrace,” pointing to his disapproval of the referee’s decisions.
Pirates were looking to win their first of four finals this season and got off to a shaky start with an early goal in the 27 minute by the Clever Boys midfielder, Jabulani Shongwe.
The first half was a physical affair with Orlando Pirates boasting the majority of possession with 56% but trailing Wits by one goal.
The Champions came out in the second half with renewed energy and were rewarded after 53 minutes by a Kermit Erasmus goal.
The on-field tension eventually erupted into a full on fracas involving managers, technical staff and players in the second half.
But Pirates were not easily distracted and former Bidvest Wits player, Sifiso Myeni netted the second goal putting his team 2-1 ahead.
The match was all but sealed with the second Erasmus goal after 73 minutes. The striker deservedly ended the game with the man of the match award.
by Lutho Mtongana | May 15, 2014 | Sport
Mens Res and Midrand Graduate Institute go head-to-head in a scrum. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
The Wits internal rugby league put on an exhilarating show last night with four tightly contested games on the east campus rugby fields.
All four games ended the first half with scores tied, an indication of how evenly matched the teams were.
The Steinhoff Medics won 34-32 against the Steinhoff Engineers in the highest scoring game of the night. The Medics ended the game with a spectacular try from within their own half.
The Midrand Graduate Institute (MGI) managed to score 26 points on their way to victory against Mens Res who only scored 18.
Humanities (Titans) lost to Masakhane who ended the game 8 points ahead after a difficult match. The game ended 16-8 late in the second half.
The final game of the night saw Steinhoff Commerce beating Monash in the final play with a try to win 16-14.
Monash lost their match despite scoring three tries that had the crowd begging for more.
The team currently leading the Wits internal rugby is Steinhoff Masakhane which has only lost one game out of a total of four games played.
Steinhoff Humanities is currently placed last and after the game it lost against Masakhane last night, and it seems like it will remain at the bottom of the league for this week as well.
There are still eight more weeks left before the final in July.
by Luca Kotton | May 15, 2014 | Sport
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC: Sibusiso Vilakazi battles away in their Nedbank Cup win over Kaizer Chiefs. Photo: Luca Kotton
Sibusiso Vilakazi could finish this weekend with a cupboard-full of silverware and a cheque for R7-million for his team.
The captain of Bidvest Wits will lead his team in the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates on Saturday, and on Sunday, could walk away with any of 3 awards at the annual Premier Soccer League (PSL) awards.
The 24-year-old Soweto-born midfielder debuted for Wits in the 2009/2010 season after being groomed by the Bidvest Wits academy.
He has since notched up over 100 first-team appearances and been rewarded with the club’s captaincy and two national team caps for South Africa.
Vilakazi’s leadership saw his team finish third in the PSL this year and he has been nominated for the player of the season, the ABSA premiership players’ player of the season and the Nedbank Cup player of the tournament at the end of season awards.
Overseas target
Vilakazi’s performance has attracted some interest from Brondby in Denmark and the Clever Boys captain may be jetting overseas by the beginning of next season.
According to Vilakazi, he spent a week in Denmark on trial and a transfer there looks likely. Vilakazi has spent the last 5 years of his professional career with the Clever Boys and has no regrets.
“So far it has been great. I have worked through step by step, baby steps as well. I hope I can grow better and better.”
With an exciting weekend ahead for the Clever Boys captain, he said, “I’m hoping it will start with the cup final and we will see what happens with the awards but I’m hoping we lift the trophy.”
The final showdown
The Nedbank Cup final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, on Saturday afternoon, will be a tightly contested match if the draw in their last meeting is anything to go by. Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt said, “Winning the cup will define if the season is good or bad.”
Vilakazi will no doubt play a vital role in the clash on Saturday afternoon and said, “It comes down to that important day, what happened in the past doesn’t matter, we focus on what’s happening now.”
Vilakazi said that his team deserves at least one trophy for the season. He would be lifting the trophy as captain if they win and he added,” I believe in my team and each and every individual.”
by Nqobile Dludla | May 14, 2014 | Sport
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.
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by Luca Kotton | May 13, 2014 | Sport
IMPROVING: Wits hockey team has a team talk over one of their short penalties which they failed to convert in their game against UCT. Photo : Luca Kotton
Wits hockey are second last on the Varsity Hockey log, after two bonus points and a draw in this weekends’ fixtures in Bloemfontein left them just two points above Rhodes University.
The first game on Saturday was against the home side, University of the Freestate (UFS), who started with a flurry of goals. Wits found themselves 4-0 down after 25 minutes but somehow managed to salvage a bonus point with a great second and third chukka display. Wits spirited performance left the game ending 6-4 to UFS in a high scoring game.
Barry Morisse, Wits link said,” We really didn’t have a good game but lots of positives to take forward- to grab a bonus point after being 4-0 was a great effort. Lots of hard work to do still though. ”
The crucial clash for Wits came against Rhodes, who had also only accomplished one draw up to that point in the fixture list. The match ended in a 1-1 draw after Rhodes led the match.
Matthew Povall, Wits half said, “It was a game we really should have won. We had many chances but never converted.”
The last game of the second leg of the tournament, hosted by UFS saw Wits play University of Pretoria in their final game, late on Monday afternoon. Wits narrowly missed out, 3-2 to the second placed Pretoria team but managed to salvage another bonus point.
Wits hockey coach, Mark Sanders, after picking up four valuable points this weekend said,”It’s been a tough weekend but the improvement from last weekend is good. We’ve created more chances but failed to convert a lot. Defensively we grown and stepped up to show that we can carry out simple instructions and follow the plan.”
Wits last group game will be against University of Johannesburg, the host team, on May 17 before the playoffs take place the same weekend.
