The schedule for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026 has been officially released.
The 16th edition of the tournament will be jointly hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe and is set to showcase the wo...
The Springboks were praised by the French media for building depth in their squad over the past few years – and the ability to field “a whole different team from one week to the other” – with assistan...
…as the Cheetahs mark 130 years with a rugby fiesta
By: Mpho Sekharume
Rugby fans in Bloemfontein will tonight be treated to some international rugby as the Toyota Cheetahs take on Georgia to mark the franchises 130 years celebration.
While this fixture serves a celebration of the Free State franchise’s rich rugby heritage, Georgia on the other hand will use this showdown as preparation for the looming Castle Lager In-bound Series test match against the Springboks on 19 July 2025 at the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga.
Cheetahs CEO Rory Duncan says the match will serve as a great opportunity for Bloemfontein rugby fans to show how hungry they are for international rugby.
“This is a great opportunity for us to show how hungry Bloemfontein is for international rugby.” The last time an international rugby match was played at the Toyota was exactly a year ago when the Springboks defeated Portugal 64-21 in a test match. Today rugby fans in Bloemfontein will be treated to thrilling showdown that doubles as celebrations of the rich rugby heritage of the province.
“We want our supporters to come and enjoy the day with their families. A lot is happening at Toyota Stadium on the day, and I believe the Georgia game is a great opportunity to showcase that we can host a world-class event,” Duncan continued.
For those who want to go and watch the match live at the stadium, tickets cost R100 for the open stand and R150 for the main stand. Fans are also urged to keep their matchday tickets for the following day to come enjoy the Springboks vs Italy test match the will be played big screens at the Toyota Stadium.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour of South African Olympic Champion Caster Semenya
The court has found that Semenya was discriminated against because of her natural testosterone levels.
In 2019, Semenya was barred from competing in certain women’s track events after World Athletics introduced regulations requiring female athletes with differences in sexual development to medically lower their testosterone to eligible levels.
Semenya initially challenged the rules at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, but her case — and several appeals — were dismissed by Swiss courts.
On Thursday, the court upheld a 2023 decision that the rules breached Semenya’s rights to privacy, non-discrimination, and effective legal protection.
One of the longest-running sagas in South African football has finally drawn to a close, with the confirmation that Orlando Pirates have loaned out Monnapule Saleng to Orbit FC.
Saleng had been out of favour at Pirates since December last year and had not featured in the side since then, apparently over a wage dispute.
With no official word on the player from Pirates for months, the speculation had been rife about the future of Saleng even though he is still under contract until June next year.
There had even been rumours about Saleng joining arch rivals Kaizer Chiefs, but that talk has also died down with no new developments.
Orlando Pirates Confirm Phillip Ndlondlo’s Departure and Monnapule Saleng’s Loan to Orbit College FC
Now Pirates have finally broken their silence on the matter, with the confirmation that the player will spend a season away from the Soweto Giants.
Full Orlando Pirates statement:
“Orlando Pirates Football Club can confirm the departure of midfielder Phillip Ndlondlo.
The 28-year-old is now free to sign with a club of his choice. Ndlondlo, who joined the Buccaneers in 2022, made a number of notable contributions during his time in the famous black and white.
The Club extends its sincere gratitude to Phillip for his professionalism and commitment during his spell at Orlando Pirates and wishes him every success in the next chapter of his career.
Meanwhile, orlandopiratesfc.com can also confirm that an agreement has been reached with Orbit College FC for the loan of Monnapule Saleng. The 27-year-old will spend the 2025/26 season with the newly crowned outfit.”
Marumo Gallants chairman Abram Sello is like a cat with nine lives - he continues to survive the whirlwind of businessmen who buy a PSL status only to fail in the end.
Sello burst into the local football scene in 2021 after buying the status of Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila who had just bought Bidvest Wits.
His joy in top-flight football was short-lived due to poor administration, resulting in Gallants being relegated to the second tier division after two seasons.
Sello’s bogus administration then included being unable to cater for the team’s needs on the continent during their CAF Confederation Cup's campaign
As such, this resulted in two club officials being detained in Libya due to the money Sello owed to a notorious businessman who had footed his hotel bill.
Before the season ended, the club and the players were allegedly on loggerheads over bonus rows after the team qualified for the Confederation Cup semi-final.
Sello stayed for one season in the national first division before resurfacing in the top-flight last season after buying the status of Moroka Swallows.
Bahlabane Ba Ntwa have retained their status in the top-flight, but the sale and purchase of status in the statuses during winter transfer window has continued willy-nilly.
As such, Gallants will have arch-rivals Siwelele FC in Bloemfontein next season after the son of sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, Calvin Le John, bought SuperSport United.
Sello, though, has advised what Le John and other new chairmen must do and avoid in order not to make the same mistake he did when he arrived in the PSL.
“The challenge at the top, as we know, is finance,” Sello said. “Finance can be run by an individual - auditors - so get the right people to advise you.
“Secondly, commit what you can. Don’t be overwhelmed and sit at the corner and satisfy conditions that’ll haunt you. Yes must be yes, and no must be no.
“Don’t look at what the club has been doing - look at what you can do, who’s advising you and the calibre of players you keep at the club.”
Sello added it's hard to run a football club without a sponsor in the PSL, and that’s why some bosses end up forking up monies from their own pockets to run operations.
“This is a very difficult position to be in,” Sello admitted. “Our chairman, Dr Irvin Khoza, used to say as a chairman you are always working hard.
“You throw your last cent into the club. When your son comes and asks for R5 you say you don’t have it, but when a player asks for R6 you give him immediately.
“So, that’s how it is. It is about passion and developing other people’s careers. But it’s not a child's play - it’s very difficult, especially financially.
“You have to prove that you can get the sponsors, and all those particular things. But at the end of the day, you go home with your subsidies to supplement the monthly grant.
“It’s not as easy as one may think. It’s nice to watch the game on TV, but to run things behind the scenes, you definitely don’t sleep.”
Now a bit wiser after paying his school fees for misadministration, Sello has revealed how he managed to slightly change things around last season.
“I think the mistake that we do as the leaders of the clubs is to overcommit according to the people you are sourcing,” Sello explained.
“Don’t overcommit according to the people you are outsourcing. Don’t go over your line of expenditures. Not everybody will laugh. Commit to what you can afford.
“Also, satisfy your people. You are as good as your employees. So, satisfy the people around you. There’ll be problems, but be ready to solve them.
“There’ll be some disputes, but be ready to go and answer before the disciplinary committee. And amicably sort everything out.”
Two hundred and fifty million rand has been allocated to school sports programmes in the country despite the challenges the programme faces.
On Tuesday, the Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture received a briefing from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate sports and cultural activities into the school curriculum across the country.
Dr.Cynthia Khumalo, Acting Director General DSAC stated that challenges in the joint implementation of the school sport programme include Inadequate sport infrastructure in schools in previously disadvantaged communities. She said this limits participation and with the support of the DBE, they can unlock the resources to build more infrastructure in schools.
Other challenges include:
Inadequate funding: Annually, DSAC commits over R220m through the Conditional Grant for the School Sport Programme and there are competing funding priorities for the voted funds or norms and standards.
Stakeholder management and cooperation: The programme depends largely on the smooth cooperation among stakeholders. However other stakeholders have used the school sport programme for their own agenda.
Dual mandate of delivering school sport and uneven support and capacity
Duplication of programmes with federations: Despite the limited resources, there are duplications of the same programmes with the federations and government-led school sport programme, resulting in misalignment.
Khumalo said they were one year into the implementation of the MoU and called for more oversight to be conducted, something the departments needed to revisit.
Eugene Mthethwa, an EFF MP, exposed the department’s failure to translate policies into tangible programmes that create long-term careers in arts and culture. He critiques the over-reliance on events, workshops, and camps, which offer no real qualifications or pathways into higher education and employment.
Dr Patricia Watson, DBE Chief Director for Care and Support in School stated that the school sports and enrichment programme at DBE is a flag ship of their enrichment space and that their collaboration with the DSAC is invaluable because it is through a collective effort and collective areas of expertise that they are able to deliver programs at the school level.
Last week, former league champions SuperSport United became the latest team to sell their PSL status.
For the first time since 1994, the once-mighty Matsatsantsa – a team with a short but storied history, and who at times were the only team able to stand up to Mamelodi Sundowns – are no more.
The news angered many fans and former footballers, shocked that a team which won three consecutive titles between 2008 and 2010 could be wiped out so suddenly.
SuperSport United was bought by Calvyn Le’John, who was later revealed to bethe son of Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie. Le’John’s plans for the club include relocating it to Bloemfontein, where they will play as Siwelele United.
He is also expected to invest up to R400 million in the project to revive football in the Free State. Soon after, it was reported that Cape Town City, who were recently relegated, were looking to buy someone’s status to remain in the topflight.
Due to the difficult financial situation TS Galaxy currently finds themselves in, they could be tempted to sell their status to keep the Citizens in the Betway Premiership.
IOL Sport takes a look at some of the most high-profile status changes in the PSL. Moroka Swallows → Marumo Gallants (2024)
Just last year, Marumo Gallants made their way back into the league when they purchased the status of Moroka Swallows, who themselves had only made it back to the professional ranks after buying another club’s status.
Bloemfontein Celtic → Royal AM (2021)
One of the most high-profile cases where a status was sold was when Durban businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize bought the status of Bloemfontein Celtic after Royal AM failed in their promotion bid back in 2021. After two years in the league, things didn’t go as planned for MaMkhize’s team, as they found themselves in a financial hole that got them kicked out.
Dynamos → AmaZulu (2006)
AmaZulu were relegated from the topflight back in 2001/02. They returned briefly in 2003/04 as Zulu Royals but were relegated again. In 2006, local businessman Patrick Sokhela bought the status of Dynamos, who had finished 13th in the league.
Thanda Royal Zulu → AmaZulu (2016)
AmaZulu were relegated again in 2014, and after failing to gain promotion back to the topflight, they bought out KwaZulu-Natal rivals Thanda Royal Zulu, who had won the National First Division.
In 2020, the beloved name of Bidvest Wits disappeared from South African football just three years after winning the league. Wits, then the oldest club in the country at 99 years old, sold their status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila. The club lasted just one season in the top flight before they sold their status to Marumo Gallants in 2021.
Highlands Park → TS Galaxy (2020)
TS Galaxy made history in 2019 when they beat Kaizer Chiefs in the Nedbank Cup final, becoming the first team from the National First Division to win the competition. The following season, the team struggled in the NFD and could only manage 10th place. However, the following season saw them make the jump to the top division after buying out Highlands Park. They’ve been in the topflight ever since, but speculation is rife that they might sell their status to the recently relegated Cape Town City.
Mpumalanga Black Aces → Cape Town City (2016)
Cape Town City were founded just nine years ago after the club purchased Mpumalanga Black Aces and relocated the club to Cape Town. Amazayoni, as they were known, had finished fourth in the league during the 2015/16 season.
More status changes
Vasco da Gama → FC Cape Town (2007)
Benoni Premier United → Thanda Royal Zulu (2007)
City Pillars → Mpumalanga Black Aces (2007)
Mbekweni Cosmos → Chippa United (2010)
Bay United → Polokwane City (2012)
Vasco da Gama → Stellenbosch FC (2016)
These repeated status sales raise deeper questions about the integrity and sustainability of South African football.
While club owners may see it as a business decision, it’s the supporters and communities that are left betrayed. Unless the PSL re-evaluates its policies around franchise trading and puts heritage and supporter loyalty at the heart of its decisions, South African football risks losing more than just club names – it risks losing its soul.
Wiaan Mulder’s record-breaking triple century on Day two of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo has placed South Africa within nine wickets of victory and a 2-0 series whitewash.
Starting the day on 267 – just seven runs short of equalling Graeme Smith’s record for the highest Test score by a South African captain – Mulder made swift progress. He passed Smith and then Hashim Amla’s 311 with a crisp cover drive off Blessing Muzarabani to move into uncharted territory.
Mulder, who had barely celebrated his previous achievements in this series, showed visible delight upon reaching the highest individual Test score by a South African. By lunch, his unbeaten 367 had already secured fifth place on the all-time individual scores list, behind only Brian Lara (twice), Matthew Hayden and Mahela Jayawardene
Needing just 33 more runs to become only the second player to reach a quadruple century in Test cricket, Mulder instead opted to declare South Africa’s innings closed on 626/5, bringing his epic knock to a close and shifting the focus to the bowlers.
Having fielded for 114 overs and staring at a daunting total, Zimbabwe’s reply started poorly as Codi Yusuf struck with the very first ball of the innings. He went on to finish with 2/20, while debutant Prenelan Subrayen impressed with figures of 4/42 as the hosts were skittled for 170.
Mulder (2/20), Corbin Bosch (1/27) and Senuran Muthusamy (1/59) also chipped in with the ball to enforce the follow-on after just 43 overs.
In their second innings, Zimbabwe showed more resistance, reaching stumps at 51/1 with Kaitano unbeaten on 30 and trailing by 405 runs. The Proteas will be aiming to take the remaining nine wickets quickly on Day three to seal a comprehensive victory.
