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IOL News
12-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Ambitious Chippa United on a shopping spree; new coach and sporting director
Siviwe 'Chippa' Mpengesi Siviwe 'Chippa' Mpengesi has been on a shopping spree. The Eastern Cape-based club has appointed a new head coach and a sporting director. Chippa United has announced the appointment of Sinethemba Badela as their new head coach. The club expressed confidence in his abilities as he takes over from Thabo September, who parted ways with Chippa following an underwhelming 11th-place finish last season. Badela, who hails from the Eastern Cape, steps into the leadership role as a promising emerging coaching talent in South African football. He is a former Mamelodi Sundowns DStv Diski Challenge mentor and has an eye for untapped talent. 'This appointment at Chippa United marks his first appointment as a head coach in the Premier Soccer League (PSL). It is a moment of pride not just for him, but for us as a club,' Chippa United's statement read. 'We strive to be more than a club. We are a symbol of possibility, a beacon for talent, and a footballing home for the Pride of the Eastern Cape.' Last season, he gained invaluable experience as an assistant coach to Rhulani Mokwena at Wydad AC in Morocco. Badela's appointment is a significant step in Chippa's ambitions to move away from their mid-table mediocrity. Previously, he also played a key role in Mokwena's technical team at Mamelodi Sundowns. 'Coach Badela brings with him international experience, having served as assistant coach at Wydad AC,' the statement continued. 'He now steps into this leadership role with the backing of our club, our supporters, and the province we proudly represent.' Badela's task will centre around elevating the club's fortunes after a lacklustre season where they amassed 31 points from 28 matches, narrowly missing out on a coveted top-eight spot. While the details of Badela's contract have yet to be revealed, the club's vision of fostering talent is clear. Chippa United's commitment is underscored by their choice to promote local coaching talent. 'His journey is a testament to what is possible when potential meets opportunity. We are honoured to give him the platform to lead our club at the highest level.' As preparations for the new season intensify, Chippa United's supporters will be keenly watching to see how coach Badela implements his tactical philosophy and galvanises the squad to achieve their goals. Additional members of the technical team supporting Badela are expected to be announced soon, as the club looks to build momentum and restore pride among its fans. Meanwhile, Chippa's owner, Siviwe Mpengesi, on Thursday morning announced the appointment of Sinesipho Mali as the club's new Sporting Director. Mali, a distinguished tactical analyst for South Africa's national football team, Bafana Bafana, boasts a wealth of knowledge in performance analysis, having previously served in key roles at Chippa and Sekhukhune United. His return to the club marks a notable chapter in his career, underlining the commitment of Mpengesi to revitalise Chippa. Mali brings a unique blend of academic knowledge and practical skills earned during his tenure as an analyst with Kaizer Chiefs before his recent role at Sekhukhune United, where he not only functioned as an analyst but also took charge of recruitment strategies. His efforts at Sekhukhune were instrumental in the club achieving its highest points tally in the 2024/25 Betway Premiership season. 'With Mali's return, we are investing in leadership that understands the game and also the unique context of our region – ensuring alignment across recruitment, development, and performance, while driving purpose-led progress for the club and province," Chippa's statement read. Mali will continue to serve as the head of analysis for Bafana Bafana. He also has previous experience with Banyana Banyana and the national Under-23 squad.
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Underworld plots a Durban July heist
A big race final log has been unveiled amid a scramble for places. Bowlers take great delight in hurling surprise bouncers at batters who appear settled at the crease. Jolt them out of a comfort zone is the idea. Racehorse trainer Justin Snaith did something of the sort this week when he made four-year-old Underworld a supplementary entry for the Hollywoodbets Durban July, to be run at Greyville next month. Underworld wasn't among the 61 first nominations, or a late addition at the first supplementary stage of South Africa's premier horse race. Indeed, Snaith watchers had more than enough to keep them busy with a dozen or so of his July aspirants, including a clutch of them near the top of the betting boards. Then Underworld ran in the Grade 3 1800m Dolphins Cup Trial at Greyville this past weekend and did fairly well – as he should have as a 3-1 favourite. He finished a close runner up to 40-1 roughie Madison Valley, with 14-1 chance On My Honour just behind in third place. Here's the thing: Madison Valley and On My Honour were both Durban July entrants and the surprise Cup Trial result, along with a slew of scratchings at second declaration stage, saw them catapulted into the final July log announced on Tuesday. Neither had featured among the 20 'most favoured' entries of a few weeks earlier. Underworld gave 2kg and 1.5kg respectively to his adversaries in the Cup Trial, but the distance and venue were a good pre-July test and indicated that Snaith's charge might not be wildly outclassed in the big race. Shaking things up The bottom rungs of the Durban July ladder are always hotly contested spaces but connections of horses that make it into 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th on the final log can generally start planning their outfits for the parade ring at Greyville on the first Saturday of the seventh month. Comfort zone; but here comes the bouncer. Based on his merit rating of 108, Underworld has no chance of trumping Madison Valley (115) and On My Honour (116) in the minds of the July selection panel. But Snaith is fond of a mischievous argument and a dig at the official handicappers. One of the horses on those lower rungs of the new July log is My Best Shot in 17th spot. No-one can remember when last there was an Eastern Cape-based runner in the July and many would be delighted to see Alan Greeff saddle up his star three-year-old for the big race – and Snaith wouldn't be a popular chap if his Underworld nixed the country cousin. Merit rating adjustments following the weekend's hectic pre-July action saw Oriental Charm and Gladatorian both hiked to 127, which means they will share the July's top burden of 60kg with See It Again – when weights are concluded next week. Cape Town Met champion Eight On Eighteen – who wasn't in action at the weekend – still tops the final log with his MR of 129. The race conditions stipulate that, as a three-year-old, he cannot carry more than 57kg. The log indicates that there is unlikely to be a female horse in the 2025 July. Three fillies are on the 'next best' list, but they will only come into contention for a place in the field if there are scratchings aplenty in the coming week. Hollywoodbets Durban July Log of 10 June 1. EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN (3C) Justin Snaith 129 2. ORIENTAL CHARM (4C) James Crawford 127 3. SEE IT AGAIN (5G) Michael Roberts 127 4. ROYAL VICTORY (5G) Nathan Kotzen 125 5. CONFEDERATE (3G) Fabian Habib 118 6. GLADATORIAN (5G) Stuart Ferrie 127 7. PURPLE PITCHER (4C) Robyn Klaasen 122 8. ATTICUS FINCH (5G) Alec Laird 121 9. SELUKWE (5G) Andre Nel 111 10. THE REAL PRINCE (4G) Dean Kannemeyer 120 11. OKAVANGO (3G) Justin Snaith 120 12. NATIVE RULER (3G) Justin Snaith 119 13. LEGEND OF ARTHUR (3C) Sean Tarry 117 14. IMMEDIATE EDGE (3G) Mike / Mathew de Kock 108 15. MADISON VALLEY (4G) Frank Robinson 115 16. ON MY HONOUR (3G) Glen Kotzen 116 17. MY BEST SHOT (3G) Alan Greeff 116 18. FUTURE SWING (5G) Justin Snaith 117 19. MUCHO DINERO (5G) Justin Snaith 115 20. POMODORO'S JET (6G) James Crawford 118 Next 9 in alphabetical order BEATING WINGS (4F) Stuart Pettigrew 113 HOLDING THUMBS (4G) Glen Kotzen 107 JOY AND PEACE (4F) Alan Greeff 110 LITIGATION (6G) Sean Tarry 113 MAGIC VERSE (4G) Justin Snaith 113 RAINBOW LORIKEET (4F) Candice Bass-Robinson 111 SON OF RAJ (5G) Tony Peter 119 THE EQUATOR (IRE) (4C) Tony Peter 110 THUNEE PLAYA (4C) Mano Pandaram 104 Final supplementary entries close on Tuesday 17 June after which the weights will be published by the National Horseracing Authority. Final declarations are due on Monday 23 June and the field of 18 runners, with two reserves, will be revealed on Tuesday 24 June when the draw for barrier positions will also take place.
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Sinethemba Qeshile's one-day career revival led SA A to series victory in St Lucia
Sinethemba Qeshile Sinethemba Qeshile in action for the Warriors. Photo: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media Image: PHANDO JIKELO Independent Media ABOUT six years ago, fresh out of matric at Hudson Park High School in East London, a 19-year-old Sinethemba Qeshile set the country alight with a List A century against a then-Temba Bavuma-led Lions side. That innings of 121 runs in one-day cricket was followed by a first-class knock of 99 in Gqeberha against a Knights bowling attack led by Duanne Olivier, who at the time was feared by most of the top batters in the world. Despite earning a Proteas T20 International cap a couple of weeks after his maiden List A century, Qeshile would somehow almost vanish into the domestic cricket wilderness, like many Eastern Cape-based cricketers before him. Despite having played some big knocks in the Four-Day Series, including a century against the Kagiso Rabada-led Lions bowling attack, Qeshile's one-day cricket returns just never met the expectations, having scored a century in the format at 19. The inconsistency in his role while playing at the Warriors also did not help as the right-handed batter simply struggled for six consecutive years. However, in the ongoing South Africa A tour of the West Indies, it seems that something has finally clicked for Qeshile in the limited-overs arena. The now-26-year-old announced his arrival in St Lucia with a half-century in the first one-day game, and followed up with an innings of 126 off 106 balls (18x4, 1x6) in the second encounter as he smashed international bowlers such as Oshane Thomas all around the Daren Sammy International Cricket Ground. Though he fell cheaply in the third and final match of the one-day series on Tuesday, Qeshile's heroics saw the visitors secure a 2-0 series victory as the second match was abandoned due to persistent rain in the second innings. Qeshile also finished as the leading run-scorer in the series with 197 at an average of 65.66, and was followed by Cape Town-born Jason Smith with 153 at an average of 76.5 and Rivaldo Moonsamy with 149 at an average of 49. With the bat, Marques Ackerman, Jordan Herman and Mihlali Mpongwana brought up at least one half-century in the series, playing a key role in helping the visitors win the contest. Mpongwana, as a seam-bowling all-rounder, made his presence felt with the ball as well, taking a total of four wickets, while seamer Tshepo Moreki finished the series as the leading wicket-taker with six scalps.
The Citizen
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
VW plant Kariega enters next phase for production of new SA-built crossover
Volkswagen's Plant Kariega in the Eastern Cape has entered the next phase in preparation for production of the third SA-built model. Looking for a new or used vehicle? Find it here with CARmag! As Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) continues to prepare Plant Kariega for production of its third South African-built model, the automaker has announced the Eastern Cape-based assembly facility has entered the commissioning phase for the highly-anticipated entry-level compact crossover/SUV. Related: VW's Kariega Plant Will Pause Production in 2025 For R4 Billion Investment of Tera SUV This announcement comes after VWGA halted production at Plant Kariega earlier in 2024 (from April 14 to May 12) to complete the upgrades, notably to the body shop, paint shop and final assembly areas, made to the manufacturing line in December 2024. Noteworthy, with the aforementioned upgrades completed, production of the Polo Vivo and Polo has returned to normal, while the commissioning phase is carried out over the weekends. The latter phase comprises the processes of bringing the new equipment online and carrying out the necessary checks to ensure it operates optimally. Related: VW Finally Unveils New SA-built Compact Crossover Built alongside the aforementioned two cars, the automaker's upcoming product will serve as the opening gambit to the company's local crossover/SUV portfolio, which currently comprises the Polo-based T-Cross and Taigo, T-Roc, Tiguan and Touareg. Positioned below the T-Cross, the Tera — as it is named in Brazil, where it is also manufactured — will officially be introduced in 2027. Locally, however, this model will be known by a different yet unannounced name. The German marque's SA arm has, however, confirmed that its moniker won't necessarily adhere to its 'T' naming convention. Related: Polo Production Halts at Kariega for Tooling of New A0 SUV VWGA production director Ulrich Schwabe said: 'We are happy to be back to normal production, with the knowledge that we are one step closer to our future of building three models in our plant.' Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles with CARmag! The post VW Plant Kariega Enters Next Phase for Production of New SA-built Crossover appeared first on CAR Magazine.
The Star
26-05-2025
- The Star
Hawks arrest man after kidnapping of R300,000 RAF payout recipient
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the kidnapping of a man who received a R300,000 Road Accident Fund (RAF) payout. The incident took place in Tsolo, on November 3, 2023, according to Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba. Fumba said the victim was approached by two unidentified men in Tsolo, who allegedly posed as RAF-affiliated doctors offering medical assistance. 'Under this false pretense, the victim was reportedly kidnapped and transported over 800 kilometers to Klerksdorp in the North West province,' Fumba said. 'While held against his will, the victim's bank account was allegedly drained, with funds transferred to accounts linked to the suspects.' Fumba said the victim was later located and safely reunited with his family. He said a breakthrough came when the Hawks' Eastern Cape-based Kidnapping Task Team, working with their North West counterparts, tracked one of the suspects to Klerksdorp. 'The 25-year-old was apprehended and is currently being transported to the Eastern Cape, where he is expected to appear before the Tsolo Magistrate's Court on Monday, May 26, 2025,' Fumba said.
