#FMF protestor tries for (wo)man of the match

by | Feb 10, 2016 | Featured 1, News, Sport

It was an interesting day on the soccer pitch on Tuesday night when a game between the Clever Boys and Kaizer Chiefs boasted an appearance by a #FEESMUSTFALL  protester.

 

It was more than soccer obstacles in the way for Bidvest Wits on Tuesday night when during their clash with Kaizer Chiefs, a Wits student protester holding #FEESMUSTFALL banner ran across the pitch.

The student, Busisiwe Catherine Seabe, ran in the 78th minute of the game across the pitch waving the #FEESMUSTFALL banner. She was stopped by a player and stadium security and taken to the Hillbrow Police station.

“I was charged apparently with contravening an act from 2010, I’m not sure what this act is and neither are my legal representatives,” said Seabe.

Seabe was released this morning and has been back on campus, “I’m waiting to appear at the Hillbrow court at 8:30am on Friday, I am waiting to be briefed by my legal team about this,” said Seabe.

According to Seabe, she and other FMF members went to match without the intention of protesting.

“We were just watching the game funny enough and everyone brought tickets to support the team,” Seabe told Wits Vuvuzela.

Seabe said that while watching the match, she was inspired to stage an unplanned protest on the pitch.

“Bidvest is a large part of the Wits community. If Bidvest can come on campus and ask students for support then surely the students can ask them for support when we are facing issues of accommodation, fees … The soccer industry generates millions in revenue,” Seabe said.

After dodging Campus Control on the pitch, Seabe was eventually stopped by new Clever Boy S’fiso Hlanti who didn’t seem too impressed with her actions. “He actually just asked me what am I doing? What was on the banner?’,” said Seabe.

In the footage of the incident, a member of the Bidvest management team is seen approaching the apprehended Seabe and pulling the banner from her, “I was hurt in the scuff of the pulling, my pants got torn but it’s fine,” Seabe said.

She adds that even despite having exited the pitch and some fans applauding, Bidvest staff members were still unimpressed, “It was a bit violent to a certain extent even when I was off the pitch, PSL management was very upset.”

But it seems no one is as upset as her mother who believes fee protesters have already made their point, “My mom is livid! She keeps telling me I must stop, the country gets it now.”

The Clever Boys get their own TV show

by | Feb 23, 2015 | Sport

THE TIME IS NOW:Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt during an interview with ANN7 and eNews ahead of their first leg CAF Confederations Cup clash with the Royal Leopards (Swaziland) on February 14. Photo: Nqobile Dludla

THE TIME IS NOW: Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt during an interview with local broadcasters ahead of the team’s first leg CAF Confederations Cup clash with the Royal Leopards.    Photo: Nqobile Dludla

Loyal Bidvest Wits fans will now get exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews and news when Bidvest Wits Football Club premiers its own show next month.

The magazine-styled show, called ‘Bidvest Wits TV’, will kick off on March 12 on SuperSport 4 (channel 204).

Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela, Bidvest Wits marketing manager Danielle van der Merwe said this is a project that the club has “been working on for a while now”.

“In the modern world your support base extends far beyond the community that you claim and play in, and in a professional sporting environment you need to give good exposure to your sponsors as well,” said van der Merwe. “So the two fit in nicely together. So essentially what the TV show will be is a window into this football club.”

While it has taken many years for the team to join other football clubs who have turned to creating their television shows, Van der Merwe explained that launching the show now has to do with “the growth of the club at the right pace”.

“I think that football clubs need to focus on football first. It’s all very well spending money, and have no doubt that this will cost us money to produce, but you have to do things in the right order for your business and that’s why for our business the time is now.”

The club has grown in strength over the last few seasons, finishing third last year and fourth in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) the year before.

What fans can expect to see

The 30 minute-long TV show will be aired every second Thursday monthly. The show go beyond match highlights and will showcase exclusive video footage of the Bidvest Wits players, updates and information on the academy and management and behind the scenes footage.

“Video and visual side of media is becoming content that people want … So a lot of people will get to see what we do behind our doors,” said van de Merwe.

 

SOCCER: Hunt praises Wits ‘kids’ after CAF debut

by | Feb 15, 2015 | Sport

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PLAYER OF THE FUTURE: Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt praised the performance of Markus Lecki, one of the new signings for the team. Photo: Nqobile Dludla.

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt was full of praise for his newly signed players after The Clever Boys tamed Swaziland’s Royal Leopards in the CAF Confederations Cup first leg at the Bidvest Stadium on Saturday.

The game, which saw Wits win 3-0, was led by the young debutants while the big names like Sibusiso Vilakazi,  Onismor Bhasera, Fatty Papy, Thulani Hlatshwayo and Moeneeb Josephs were rested in the stands.

Markus Lecki who formed a strong wall of defence at the back alongside Tebogo Moerane, lived up to Hunt’s predictions as “a player of the future.”

“Markus Lecki was fantastic at the back and certainly very good. He is quick at passing balls, very calm, good in the air, can play at the back, reads the ball well”, said Hunt.

Hunt strongly believes that letting the youngsters lead in the Caf Confederations Cup will train them for the next season when he signs all of them.

“We want to sign them up for next season. We need to play them in this competitive level. When we play  [Moroka] Swallows next week Tuesday, we’ll approach them as we did today. Play more kids, play more of them and put them in an environment that’s going to be hostile. So let’s see who has the guts and the makings of a player”, said Hunt.

Unleashing a 3-0 win

The start of the game in Johannesburg saw both sides come out guns blazing, with Ngcobo threatening, but failing, to head a lead goal in the opening minutes.

In the 40th- minute, Ngcobo came in again with a long shot from Christopher Katongo’s cross but instead went over the goal post frustrating the players.

A hopeful Royal Leopards’ Sikhumbuzo Ntimane tried to frustrate The Clever Boys even more when he tried to net in a lead but his attempt met the hands of Wits’ goalkeeper Boafela Pule.

A minute before the half-time whistle though, Ben Motshwari put The Clever Boys into the lead with a brilliantly executed strike.

Redeeming himself, Ngcobo fired in a header from Tebogo Moerane who dribbled past the fast paced Royal Leopards.

Vincent Pule’s persistence was evident in the second half where he tried to penetrate Royal Leopards’ wall, but his shot went wide of the target.  A second chance came in the 66th minute when Shameegh Doutie had the opportunity to put The Clever Boys in a 3:0 lead but his attempt met the hands of Mphikeleli Dlamini.

In the 78th minute, The Clever Boys took full advantage of their front line, with Ngcobo firing home Nyembezi Setelele’s cross for his second Bidvest Wits goal of the night, leaving the final score at 3-0.

Despite the competitiveness of Swaziland’s Royal Leopards, coach Sifiso Ntibane said his team “knew that they [Bidvest Wits] were going to put more goals in the box.”

“My boys tried. We were frustrating Wits in the first half, except in the last 30 seconds when they got a chance outside the box. All in all my boys were competing. They were there. That second goal my defender went out of the field and had a lump on his head and that’s when they got the space to get that second goal”, said Ntibane.