Innehållsförteckning för 2024-04-16 från Mercury

CALLS have been made for the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to conduct further consultations following mixed reactions over its Gender Responsive Pedagogy Toolkit for Early Childhood Education (ECE). The controversial document, also known as the ECE toolkit, has sparked debate and concern especially among religious and cultural groups. In attempts to address “misconceptions”, the department said the toolkit was not promoting any particular ideology, including being transgender. It said the purpose of the document was to provide guidance to early childhood education practitioners and foundation phase educators on how to create learning environments that are free from harmful gender stereotypes and biases. “The Gender Responsive Pedagogy Toolkit for Early Childhood Education is not aimed at dividing children from their parents or undermining family values. “The toolkit encourages the active…

MORE THAN SIX months have passed since the military attack and the start of the US-backed apartheid Israeli genocide in Gaza. In the devastating path of the six months, every evidence of apartheid Israel’s reasoning for displacing Gaza’s population; extensively bombing the inaccessible enclave, denying and blockading the population’s access to basic services and the systematic scene of carnage leading to the deaths of thousands of people, especially of innocent women and children; has been exposed as untruths and falsehood. The axis of terrorism and capitalism in the US, UK, Germany and France has armed, funded and defended apartheid Israel’s genocide in Gaza, making it one of the greatest crimes of the human race in the contemporary world. The genocide in Gaza, a war against humanity and possibly the first…

WHAT rugby! The Sharks’ 36-30 win over Edinburgh at the weekend was itself a classic of great rugby, the lead constantly switching – rugby at its best. This was a real thriller. Next hurdle: French side Clement Auvergne in the semi-final of the European Rugby Challenge early in May, to be played in London at The Stoop, home of Harlequins. The damsels of the Pub With No Name are, of course, ecstatic. They’ve surrendered their knicker elastic for a fashioning of catapults for the time-honoured feu de joie in which the street lights are shot out. Rugby takes over. ’Erewego, ’erewego, ’erewego! Tough lady YOU wouldn’t want to get into an arm wrestling contest with this lady. A French gal has broken the world rope climbing record after reaching…

Recent comments by the Free Market Foundation’s Martin van Staden that the proliferation of smaller parties is good for democracy is off the mark. With a hung vote in a well-run successful municipality a minnow unknown party with no track record and with personal ambitions as the driving force simply gives his vote to the opposition – and in so doing swings the well-run municipality into the hands of an unproven party with no track record just empty promises. In return he demands the mayor’s job and gets it. So out goes the party running the successful municipality, out goes the mayor and in comes the opposition on the back of a maverick vote! Democracy or conniving self-interest politics?…

The Ministry of Electricity has confirmed that Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is “safe and sound” after he was allegedly involved in a car accident on Sunday afternoon. According to the minister’s spokesperson, Tsakane Khambane, Ramokgopa was at the time of the accident travelling from the North West to Gauteng. Khambane indicated that the minister escaped unscathed. It is not clear if the he was on an official or private assignment during the accident. News24 reported that Ramokgopa had been campaigning for the ANC in the province ahead of the May 29 general elections. “The accident involved the car the minister was being driven in, with two protectors and another vehicle. “All individuals involved in the accident received prompt medical attention, and after a thorough examination, the minister has been discharged…

Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande says he will decide after the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe and legal proceedings by Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane on whether to probe fake degrees at the University of Fort Hare. The SIU investigation began in 2022 and a report will be sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa, he said. Mabuyane has challenged the matter in court. However, once the two processes have been finalised Nzimande will consider what decision to take. The issue of fake degrees has implicated senior political figures in the Eastern Cape. “The department will decide on the allegations once the two processes have been concluded. The first process emanates from the SIU investigation at Fort Hare. A report is expected during March/April 2024. “The second process stems from the…

The Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (Casac) says the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s (IEC) decision to appeal the ruling by the Electoral Court on former president Jacob Zuma’s eligibility to contest the elections will help provide clarity on the powers of the electoral body. Last week, the Electoral Court ordered the IEC to include Zuma’s name on the uMkhonto weSizwe Party’s (MKP) list of candidates for Parliament after the party successfully appealed the commission’s decision to exclude him from the list. The IEC had upheld an objection from a member of the public to Zuma’s candidacy due to his criminal record for contempt of court, citing section 47 of the Constitution, which disqualifies a party candidate who was sentenced to more than 12 months in…

Israel’s European allies urged it yesterday to show restraint over Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack, calling on Israeli leaders to step away from “the edge of the cliff” of escalation in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet, which is empowered to decide on the country’s response, was set to convene yesterday, a government source said. Israeli officials said the war cabinet favoured retaliation but was divided over the timing and scale of any such response. With the danger of open warfare erupting between Israel and Iran, and tension high over the war in Gaza, President Joe Biden has told Netanyahu the US will not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive against Iran, US officials said. Britain, France, Germany and the EU’s foreign policy chief all joined…

Swathes of northern Kazakhstan and Russia’s Urals region were flooded yesterday as melt waters swelled the tributaries of the world’s seventh longest river system, forcing more than 125 000 people to flee their homes. Russia’s southern Ural region and northern Kazakhstan have been grappling with the worst flooding in living memory after very large snow falls melted swiftly amid heavy rain over land already waterlogged before winter. That has swelled the tributaries of the Ob, which rises in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia and empties into the Arctic Ocean, beyond bursting point, leaving some cities in Russia and Kazakhstan under water. A Reuters journalist said several districts of the northern Kazakh city of Petropavlovsk were completely flooded. The city sits on the Ishim River, a tributary of the Irtysh,…

Sydney: Four people are being treated for “non-life threatening injuries” after a stabbing at a church service in Sydney yesterday, emergency services said. Australian police said they had arrested one man. The incident came two days after a knife-wielding man killed six people at a shopping mall in east Sydney. A video stream showed yesterday’s gruesome attack at an Assyrian church unfold. The video showed a man dressed in black approaching a bishop at the dais, raising his right arm and slashing at the cleric with a knife. The incident took place in Sydney’s western suburb of Wakeley, which is is a hub for Sydney’s small Christian Assyrian community, many of whom fled wars in Iraq and Syria. | AFP…

London: Liz Truss, prime minister for just 49 days before being ousted over her disastrous tax-cutting mini-budget, yesterday refused to rule out putting herself forward again to lead Britain’s Conservative Party. Truss’s economic agenda spooked the markets and took the UK to the brink of financial meltdown, losing her the support of her own party in October 2022. Ahead of the publication of her book, Ten Years to Save The West, she said she believed a return to frontline politics could still be a possibility. “I definitely have unfinished business,” she said. She has urged the government to slash taxes, abandon some net-zero commitments and increase the retirement age. | AFP…

Sirius Real Estate expected like-for-like rent roll growth of more than 5% for the 10th consecutive year, with similar levels of growth reported across its UK and Germany operations. The group, which operates branded business and industrial parks and which has a listing on the JSE and in London, said in a trading update yesterday that cash collection for the year to March 31, 2024, had remained robust at above 98%, on a rolling 12-month basis. “The group expects to deliver full-year results in line with market expectations,” its directors said. “We continue to see attractive acquisition opportunities that meet our acquisitions criteria in the UK and Germany, alongside opportunities to sell mature or non-core assets with the aim to do so at or above book value,” directors said. The…

From April 18 to 24, communities will come together to mark Fibroid Awareness Week, a significant time dedicated to supporting women battling fibroids. This annual event aims to shine a spotlight on a common yet under-discussed health issue that impacts between 20% and 80% of women at some point in their lives. Kiko Vitals, a company offering holistic wellness solutions, is focusing on Uterine Fibroid Awareness Month to equip women with the knowledge they need to identify, diagnose, and tackle uterine fibroids head-on. Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas or myomas, are non-cancerous lumps that form in the muscle layers of the uterus. They are most frequently found in women of childbearing age. However, the condition often flies under the radar due to the absence of noticeable symptoms in many…

While the Durban business community urged the eThekwini Municipality to consider lower tariff increases for electricity, water and other services, the City said there was “no chance” of a zero percent increase. For electricity, the business community had asked that the City keep to the increases that had been approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). However, the City said while it would consider the suggestion, it was not possible to have zero increases as that would lead to the collapse of the municipality. The business sector engaged with the municipality yesterday on the draft budget presentation. The total proposed budget for 2024/2025 is R67.3 billion with an operating budget of R59.7bn and a capital budget of R7.6bn. The draft budget shows that for the 2024 /25…

THE DEVASTATING accident on the N3 on Friday – involving a truck and a Department of Health patient transport vehicle – is another painful tragedy on our province’s roads. The DA extends its deepest condolences to the families of the two patients who lost their lives. Our prayers are with them and the eight other patients who suffered injuries. The number and frequency of accidents on the N3 between Durban and Pietermaritzburg has given this stretch of highway a reputation of being extremely dangerous. The DA appeals to motorists using this stretch of road to slow down and take extra precautions when navigating the route. We call on Sanral to implement high-level traffic calming measures and the MEC for Transport to raise traffic management levels to curb high speed and…

THE catastrophic demise of this country, brought on by pitiful politics, translates to one word … hunger. Most intersections have now been invaded by human beings who are living their worst lives as they attempt to survive each day. Their possessions are paltry, mainly the clothes they are wearing, together with a ruck sack with all their worldly possessions. Winter is upon us, most of them are sleeping on the streets, as they navigate freezing weather and long, cold, dark nights. Looking into the eyes of such a person and witnessing the despondency and naked hunger is a reality check, a wake-up call. Giving a sandwich or a cup of coffee is like an angelic touch for that starving person who is receiving it. The horror that this country has…

Be wary of new friends who instantly befriend you in a new place. Too much, too soon is seldom a good idea and seldom lasts. Find a way to learn, and remember people’s names. It will do you more good than understanding advanced algebra. Have fun with your parents. Be open, try to tell them everything. Men and women who are open and friendly with their parents are often much less anxious in every area of their lives than those who are combative with their parents. The umbilical chord is infinitely elastic. You’ll trip over it for the rest of your life if you don’t take care of it early on. Phone and visit or contact your grandparents a lot. Tell them as much as you can about your life…

A 21-year-old KwaZulu-Natal man who was found guilty of raping his 15-year-old disabled relative has been jailed to a life term of imprisonment. The man, who cannot be named to protect the victim’s identity, was sentenced in the Verulam Regional Court. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in KZN said the incident took place in August 2021. “The accused lived in the same house as the boy and the boy’s sister and mother,” said NPA spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara. “The boy is mentally and physically disabled and is unable to speak or take care of himself and relies on his mother for assistance and care. “On the day of the incident, the accused was alone at home with the boy. When the boy’s younger sister came home, she saw her brother lying…

thami.magubane@inl.co.za Employees owe the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education (DoE) half a billion rand. A report tabled before the Standing Committee On Public Accounts (Scopa) recently showed the department is owed R532 million by its employees. It was not immediately clear how the debt was accumulated. The report implied part of it was due to overpayments. Members of Scopa were briefed on the debt that has increased by close to R100m from last year, during a meeting with department officials. The department met with Scopa to brief it on its responses to the issues raised by the office of the Auditor General in an audit of the department’s affairs. Under the AG query, provision for impairment of receivables: staff debt of R532.59m, the department said it was working to address the…

EThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has told the Durban business community that the Go!Durban bus service will go live at the end of July this year. Kaunda made the announcement during an engagement with the business community on the draft budget yesterday. The City has over the past few years set several dates for the launch of the bus transport system, but these did not materialise due to challenges with the taxi industry. The C3 route that runs between Pinetown and KwaMashu is said to be complete and ready for launch. However, whether the project will launch on the new date remains doubtful as the Durban West Taxi Association that will be “displaced” by the service said it had not reached agreement with the municipality. The launch of the project has…

CONTROVERSIAL media outlet the Daily Maverick embarked on an unprecedented 24-hour shutdown yesterday to highlight the financial challenges experienced by journalism at large. The private online and weekly print news publisher, which has faced intense scrutiny over its funding model and donors, shut down its web page at midnight on Sunday. Visitors to the site found a blacked-out landing page with the following message: “Daily Maverick has shut down for today, 15 April 2024. “Without journalism, our democracy and economy will break down. Journalism helped save South Africa. Now we need your help.” At the bottom of the page were web links where businesses and individuals could donate money to the media company. Daily Maverick had issued a statement at midnight saying: “The decision to do this was not taken…

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC government may be on a sliding popularity trajectory if we believe the latest poll by the Social Research Foundation on April 10, which projects a slump in the party’s popular vote to 37% leading up to the general election on May 29 with the DA at 25% and former president Jacob Zuma’s new uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party at 13%. Polls of course can be notoriously misleading and erroneous. Those pertaining to South Africa’s prevailing electoral landscape characterised by a beauty parade of fragmented factions, dysfunctional parties, dodgy donors, and bad actors, are no exceptions. One metric though which is a cause for some relief for Ramaphosa, irrespective of the pollsters, is the thaw in Pretoria’s relations with the Biden administration, especially in the vital areas…

Donald Trump arrived yesterday at the New York courthouse where he was set to become the first ex-president in US history to stand criminal trial, a seismic moment in the already explosive 2024 presidential campaign. Trump was driven by motorcade to the gritty Manhattan courthouse from his Trump Tower apartment building shortly before the start of jury selection. The scandal-plagued 77-year-old is accused of falsifying business records in a scheme to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with adult film actress Stormy Daniels to shield his 2016 election campaign from a last-minute upheaval. The so-called hush money affair is only one of four criminal cases hanging over Trump, including historic prosecutions against the Republican’s alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election and prevent the winner, Joe Biden, from taking office.…

An investigation of five fur farms in China housing foxes, raccoon dogs and mink found a high risk of diseases developing that could jump from animals to humans, said animal protection group Humane Society International (HSI) who conducted the study at the end of 2023. The farms in China’s northern Hebei and Liaoning provinces each held between 2 000 and 4 000 animals in intensive conditions, including in close proximity to poultry, HSI said. Alastair MacMillan, a visiting professor at Surrey University’s Veterinary School, said the high stocking density of the animals facilitates the rapid spread of viruses on droplets from one to another, and potentially to humans. Data from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic briefly uploaded to a database by Chinese scientists last year suggested raccoon dogs…

MYAWADDY: Myanmar resistance fighters yesterday burned the flag used by the military government and raised their own banner at a newly captured army base, as a senior rebel commander vowed they would hold the strategic area near the Thai border. The celebrations by fighters linked to the armed ethnic Karen National Union came less than a week after the capture of Myawaddy, a key trading town on Thailand’s western border. Myawaddy’s fall marked another battle loss for the military regime that seized control in 2021 from an elected government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. | Reuters…

Madrid: A forest fire that started in abnormally hot temperatures has burned through more than 500ha of land in eastern Spain and forced 180 people to flee their homes, officials said yesterday. The fire began on Sunday near Tarbena in the Valencia region as temperatures reached 30°C, which is unusually high for the season. Heat, wind and low humidity fuelled the blaze which media reports said may have started with an agricultural fire. “The fire is still active” after a “complicated” night for firefighters, emergency services said, adding that the blaze had destroyed “more than 500ha” of land. Temperatures rose above 30°C in more than 65 areas across Spain over the weekend. | AFP…

Borussia Dortmund host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie today looking for inspiration from their Westfalenstadion fortress to overturn a 2-1 deficit. Winners in 1997 and finalists in 2013, Dortmund are somehow still in with a shot at returning to the semi-finals despite a terrible start in Madrid, with Edin Terzic’s overawed side trailing by two goals after 30 minutes. Dortmund composed themselves and were arguably the better side for the remaining 60 minutes but, despite a Sebastien Haller goal, will rue two defensive mistakes which gave Atletico the upper hand. As it often is, Dortmund’s trump card is their 80 000-strong Westfalenstadion – Germany’s biggest stadium and one of the largest in European football. The club have not lost there since November 2021,…

FORMER SuperSport United player Clayton Daniels fought hard to keep the tears welling up in his eyes from falling down his cheeks as spoke about his decision to run the TotalSports Two Oceans Marathon at the weekend. The versatile player, who has also donned the colours of Ajax Cape Town, Mamelodi Sundowns, Bloemontein Celtic, Maritzburg United and recently Cape Town Spurs, ran an emotional half-marathon on Sunday. “You know what happened with (Fleurs), I just ran in his memory,” Daniels said on the fields of the University of Cape Town where many runners, delighted to have completed their race, mingled. Fleurs, the Kaizer Chiefs player who was murdered during a car hijacking in Johannesburg a little over a week ago, also played for SuperSport where Daniels was his senior. Such…

Five people have died and infrastructure, homes and businesses were damaged in a flash flood on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast on Sunday night. Margate was the most severely impacted by the flooding. Alan Bosch, Margate councillor, said there was heavy and continuous rain from 6pm on Sunday which continued to get heavier. “Half of Doxa Church is gone, the Margate bowling club is gone, it was completely washed away. The beach area was badly damaged and paving was lifted. Lots of businesses have closed because it is not possible to operate,” he said. Bosch said electricity and water infrastructure was also damaged. “The Ugu pump station was severely damaged. We are still assessing the sewerage infrastructure.” According to Bosch, in Margate extension 3, a couple and a child were swept…

AMAZULU coach Pablo Martin dropped the ball on Saturday night in a game between AmaZulu and Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup quarter- finals at Moses Mabhida stadium. Orlando Pirates was there for the taking but Martin’s naivety allowed Pirates to win. Martin’s strategy was wrong. He started the game with six defensive-minded players and he failed to read the game and make adjustments. Orlando Pirates was playing with a makeshift defence and the regulars such as Nkosinathi Sibisi, Olisah Ndah and Thapelo Xoki were not playing, but Martin failed to capitalise on Pirates’ defensive weaknesses. He should have introduced more attacking players to put pressure on rusty Innocent Maela and inexperienced Thabiso Sesane. He kept on the bench, for no apparent reason, the attacking fire power of Chidi Kwem,…

The phrase “follow the money” applies aptly in evaluating Mahatma Gandhi’s years in Natal which is why, as Puni Dyer states, he was not the icon he is portrayed to have been (The Mercury, April 15). At the request of his brother whose merchant firm was pursuing a claim for £40 000, the prospect of substantial earnings by winning a big court case brought him to the Transvaal in May 1893. His campaigning against the Natal colonial government’s legislation discriminating against Indians was premised on the interests of the moneyed class of Indians – the merchant trading elite. They constituted the membership of the Natal Indian Congress that was inaugurated on August 22, 1894. With annual dues of £3 a member, the NIC was then an exclusive body. For all…

FORMER president JG Zuma announced shortly before the end of his tenure as the president of the country that the government would provide free tertiary education to all those from previously disadvantaged communities. At the time, South Africans were all excited – this was the best thing any government could do for its citizens. But the person who would be left to deal with the nitty-gritty of where the money would come from, and how to make the whole plan sustainable over the years, was his successor. The magnitude of this undertaking was not properly interrogated. The assumption was that anyone with a university-entry matric certificate could proceed to register for a degree. No thought was given to the fact that there are other options that are not so demanding…

Civil rights group AfriForum says it is ready to take up the legal battle with the Department of Transport and the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) if any motorist is pressed to pay the historic debt relating to the gantries on Gauteng’s freeways. Last week, it was reported that the e-tolls had been permanently scrapped but motorists would still be expected to pay their outstanding debts. The Government Gazette declaring the end of e-tolls was published towards the end of March. However, how the debts will be collected from motorists will be announced at a later stage. AfriForum said it would take the matter to court, if any motorist is pushed to pay the e-tolls debt. “They (government) have done it in the past, where they refuse to allow people…

A SLIP and fall on a wet toilet floor at school which caused a then 9-year-old boy to sustain head injuries after he hit his head on the side of a urinal is set to cost the Northern Cape Education MEC dearly. The court has found it liable for the damages suffered by the child. The boy’s father turned to the Northern Cape High Court sitting in Kimberley to claim damages, as he felt his son’s fall was due to the negligence of the school where he was a learner at the time. The child’s father said it was the school’s duty to ensure that the toilet floor was cleaned regularly, so that the wet floor did not pose a danger to his son and other children. The education department…

East Coast Radio (ECR) has announced the appointment of Mzuvele Mthethwa as its new managing director. His appointment was effective from April 1. He succeeded Bonisiwe Mchunu, who left at the end of 2023. ECR said Mthethwa brought a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role, having spent nearly two decades at the radio station, most recently as the station’s head of finance, responsible for strategic planning, corporate governance, and financial management. He is also a long-standing member of the Kagiso Media Radio Exco team. Nick Grubb, Kagiso Media Radio CEO, said Mthethwa has a “unique blend of experience that elegantly fits the station’s requirements”. “Having collaborated closely with Mzuvele over the years, I have witnessed his commitment, professionalism, decisiveness, and outstanding leadership skills. “His appointment as managing…

Last week’s announcement by Minister of Higher Education Dr Blade Nzimande regarding the disbandment of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) board and the appointment of an administrator, Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo, underscores a deepening crisis in the education sector. The NSFAS, tasked with supporting the education of deserving but financially disadvantaged students, has failed miserably, leaving thousands of hopefuls in despair. The responsibility for this failure lies squarely at the doorstep of Nzimande and his department, the primary shareholder of NSFAS. The abysmal oversight by Nzimande has allowed the scheme to falter on its core mandate, betraying the aspirations of countless students who depend on it for their educational pursuits. The dire state of NSFAS not only jeopardises individual futures but also undermines the country’s prospects for socio-economic progress.…

France and its allies yesterday sought to drum up hundreds of millions in aid for Sudan a year since its civil war erupted, sparking one of the world’s worst and most underfunded humanitarian crises. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 8.5 million more have been forced to flee their homes since fighting broke out on April 15 last year between rival generals. Sudan is experiencing “one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent memory”, with more people displaced inside the country than anywhere else in the world and a fast-growing hunger crisis, the UN says. At the international conference in Paris, France is seeking contributions from the international community, and attention to a crisis that officials say is being crowded out of the global conversation by ongoing…

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing a fresh round of parliamentary wrangling over his bill to save his government’s stalled Rwanda deportation scheme, as MPs head back to Westminster this week. The House of Commons returned from Easter recess yesterday, with the legislation high on the agenda after a minister insisted flights carrying asylum seekers to Kigali should be taking off “within weeks”. Sunday was the busiest day for Channel crossings so far this year after more than 500 migrants arrived in the UK in a single day. About 6 000 people have made the journey in 2024, with more than 75 000 arrivals recorded two years on from the deal being signed. | IANS…

ABUJA: Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has recovered $28.88 million (R549m) after launching an investigation into alleged fraud at a government ministry responsible for tackling poverty. Betta Edu, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, was suspended in January less than six months after her appointment by President Bola Tinubu, who came to power last year. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said the probe had uncovered an “intricate web of fraudulent practices”. So far, billions of naira had been recovered during the investigation into the activities of past and suspended ministry officials, it said. | Reuters…

Once in a generation there comes a trailblazer, a record-breaker and record-setter. Laura Wolvaardt is easily among that selected few, a set of talented individuals that push the envelope beyond what many think possible. At 24 years old, Wolvaardt has the most runs in One Day Internationals for South Africa, surpassing Mignon du Preez’s tally of 3 760 by four runs and she did so in 48 fewer innings. Wolvaardt does not only have the most ODI centuries for South Africa, but is also the second-youngest player to have six, behind Australia’s Meg Lanning. Ongama Gcwabe looks back to some of Wolvaardt’s memorable ODI centuries. 105 v Ireland in August 2016 This is the century that got the world to take note of Wolvaardt’s talent and hunger for big…

Former Bafana Bafana man Teko Modise has shared his opinion on what he feels has been the derailment of football in KwaZulu-Natal. The now-retired Modise played for four top-flight clubs during his time and was even crowned back-to-back footballer of the season in 2008 and 2009 in the colours of Orlando Pirates. He and the rest of the South African football fraternity have witnessed the continuous underachieving of the KZN-based clubs for several years now. Given the volume and quality of players hailing from the province, it would not have been irresponsible for a club from that part of the world to challenge for league honours. However, that dream is yet to be realised and doesn’t seem to be in the vision of the six clubs representing the province from…

The Cricket SA T20 Challenge is nearing the knockout stages, which are scheduled to take place next week. Ongama Gcwabe picks five top performers from the last week’s action. David Wiese Wiese has played only five games for the Titans in this season’s T20 Challenge and has already put himself in the top three wicket-takers’ list with a tally of 15 wickets. Ten of those wickets came in the Titans’ three fixtures. The experienced campaigner recorded his first T20 five-wicket haul at Kingsmead in Durban despite the Titans losing by three runs on DLS method. The 38-year-old then returned figures of 2-9 (vs Rocks) and 3-21 (vs Tuskers) in Centurion to conclude what was a successful week for himself and the Titans. Matthew Breetzke Breetzke has been a consistent performer…