Junior Boks return to South Africa as U-20 world champs
They beat six-time champions New Zealand in Italy on Saturday evening to win their World Rugby Under 20 Championship for the first time since 2012, breaking a 13-year drought.
South Africa's men now hold the world championship titles at senior and junior level, as well as in the sevens format.
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IOL News
15 minutes ago
- IOL News
Venus Williams: A global inspiration in an unjust world order
VenVenus Williams became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, since Martina Navratilova back in Williams with her Barbie doll. Image: Instagram THIS past week, astonishing tennis champion Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, since Martina Navratilova back in 2004. In a brilliant display, she beat Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the Washington DC Open. This marks her winning streak following her first doubles match in three years, where she solidified a win at the DC Open alongside Hailey Baptiste this week. When Williams stepped onto the court this past week and clinched yet another hard-fought win, it was not just a personal triumph; it was a thunderous reminder of what resilience looks like in a world that has too often sidelined female athletes. For Black women in particular, Williams's legacy stretches far beyond the boundaries of a tennis court. It speaks to grit, excellence, and the persistent fight against a system built to exclude us — particularly those who are both Black and female. As a Black South African woman, I don't just see Venus. I see myself. I see the outstanding Caster Semenya. I see our stunning Banyana Banyana team. I see the first World Athletics Indoor Championships winner, Prudence Sekgodiso. And so, so many more. In the same breath, however, I also see the underfunded, overlooked, and underestimated athletes across our continent who rise despite various, arduous barriers set against them. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Being a woman in the professional sports world is incredibly tough. However, being a Black woman in sport — and any other sphere of society — is a double disadvantage. Racism and sexism work together to create nearly impenetrable walls. Whether it is access to elite training facilities, sponsorships, or fair media coverage, they are constantly demanded to do more with less, and then criticised for not doing enough. Black South African sportswomen face a specific set of challenges: historical racial inequalities, under-resourced development programmes in townships and rural areas, and deeply embedded gender biases. They are told to be grateful for crumbs when in reality they deserve seats at the main table. Globally and locally, the gender pay gap in sports is staggering. While male athletes rake in millions of rand, women are left scrambling for basic sponsorship. When Banyana Banyana qualified for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, the prize money promised to the team was barely a fraction of what the men's team would receive for a similar feat, despite the women outperforming them in global rankings and progress. This is not just a domestic problem. When Williams fought for equal prize money at Wimbledon — and won — it took years of hard-won activism, even with her legendary status. How much longer will it take for African women athletes to receive the most basic recognition? The limitations in access also coincide with the limitations of women's rights. Access to sport starts early, at a foundational stage. In many South African communities, however, young girls are commonly discouraged from participating. Sport is still seen as a 'man's game', and their facilities are either unavailable or prioritised for males. When you add the constant threat of gender-based violence, you begin to understand why many promising girls drop out of sports altogether. Even at professional levels, these basic rights are often denied. Female athletes lack access to legal support, maternity protections, and even healthcare. Many of our most formidable athletes retire early, not because of injuries or that their talent has faded, but because the system simply pushes them out. Many of the challenges women face in sports are also a direct result of poor policies. While there have been moves toward policy reforms, implementation remains weak. Gender equity clauses are often tokenistic — included in sporting federations' documentation that demands international compliance — but rarely enforced. Funding for women's sports remains minimal, and when cuts are made, women's programmes are the first to go. Furthermore, sports organisations love to make the widespread claim that if female athletes do not generate the same amount of viewership and visibility as male sports, they are undeserving of the standardised remuneration. This is nonsense and speaks to a wider problem of a general minimisation of female sports, from marketing to administration, and beyond. Ultimately, we do not need more slogans or one-off 'Women in Sport' campaigns. We need meaningful, transformative, measurable action. In fact, the most visible injustice is the lack of visibility of female sports. When South Africa hosted and dominated the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), the coverage was scarce and begrudging. More recently, Banyana Banyana made it to the semi-finals of the 2025 Wafcon. The coverage was undeniably minute! Which is particularly shameful, considering that the entire soccer world has recently concluded its most formidable competitions — such as the Premier League, the European League, and the Fifa Club World Cup — where it was a prime opportunity to garner viewership and sales for Wafcon. All of this, which is easily comparable to the blanket coverage that men's teams receive during even minor tournaments, is truly despicable. According to Change Our Game, 2022/2023 statistics, women's coverage represented an average of 19% of all coverage across the top five sports. Globally, only about 4% of sports media coverage is devoted to women's sports. Additionally, there is a significant problematisation in the lack of depth in the coverage of women's sports compared to men's sports. Change Our Game outlined that women were commonly described as 'quiet achievers', 'hard workers' and 'punching above their weight'. This speaks to an issue with the socialisation of women that sees them as non-athletes, as physically inadequate, and as the exception to a 'male game'. The media's silence certainly is not neutral. It directly shapes public perceptions, sponsorship interest, and the legitimacy of women athletes overall. It impacts the place of female sports in the world and restricts them to a second-class position. Like so many female athletes across the world, Williams's victory was a spark — but what we need is a wildfire. We need more Black women in boardrooms, coaching, policymaking positions, sports journalism, media, and beyond. We need equity, not pity. We need representation, not mere symbolism. Waiting costs so much more than investing. For every 'Venus' in the global spotlight, there are thousands of women on dusty fields and cracked courts across Africa, fighting for the chance to compete. They do not just want access; they deserve it, and they demand it. This is not merely about access, it's about justice. Until sport dismantles its barriers and reclaims its promise of equity, it will fail those who need it most. And this plight will not stop until sports truly becomes what it was always meant to be: fair, inclusive, and open to all. In the words of basketball star (WNBA) A'ja Wilson: 'Adversity is like fertiliser for greatness.' But greatness isn't grown on barren soil — resources must come before results. * Tswelopele Makoe is a gender and social justice activist and editor at Global South Media Network. She is a researcher, columnist, and an Andrew W Mellon scholar at the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, UWC. The views expressed are her own. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
IOL News
12 hours ago
- IOL News
Glenrose Xaba gunning for whopping sixth national half-marathon title in a row
Glenrose Xaba finished fifth at the Absa Run Your City Durban 10K on July 13 in a time of 31:50. Glenrose Xaba will chase her sixth national half-marathon title in a row for Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) as part of a star-studded field at the ASA Road Running Championships in Namakgale, Phalaborwa, on Saturday. Men's defending champion Elroy Gelant will also be among the pre-race favourites in the half-marathon that is incorporated into the F21 Half-Marathon. Xaba was the first South African home over the 21.1km distance at last year's national championships in Gqeberha, finishing fourth overall in 1:13:42. Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) athlete Cacisile Sosibo was fifth, in a time of 1:13:51. She is likely to once again be Xaba's strongest challenger. Gelant, who overcame tough conditions to win the SA men's title in Gqeberha last year, will be joined in the line-up by Athletics Central North West (ACNW) teammate Thabang Mosiako, also a former national champion. They are up against a field that also includes in-form athlete Bennet Seloyi, representing Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA). Xaba holds the national marathon and 10km records on the road, as well as the 5 000m and 10 000m records on the track. The multi-talented star is also eyeing ranking points in her bid to qualify for the track 5 000m and 10 000m at the World Championships in Tokyo in September. The ASA Road Running Championships will also be key to national marathon record holder Gelant's build-up to the world champs. He has made clear his ambition to grab a podium finish at the Tokyo showpiece, after finishing in eleventh place in the marathon at the Paris Olympics.
IOL News
12 hours ago
- IOL News
From Lords to Langa: Proteas' Temba Bavuma completes the circle as a world champion
Proteas Test captain Temba Bavuma holds aloft the ICC mace on the world champions' open-top bus parade through the streets of Langa on Friday. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Like a Cheshire cat that just had its cream, Vuyo Bavuma looked across at his son Temba in the manner that only the proudest of fathers could. Here they were together at the Langa Sports Complex in Cape Town, where the arduous journey had begun all those years ago, sitting across from hundreds of children chanting 'Temba, Temba Temba' with the ICC's golden mace adorning the table. The little dreadlocked boy, who had played with grown men in the Cape Town township, which ironically had streets named after Lord's, MCG, Karachi and Kolkata - all cricket citadels that Temba would go on to grace - had returned to his birthplace as a world champion after leading the Proteas' to a sensational World Test Championship final victory over arch-rivals Australia in London last month. 'Yeah, it's basically the completion of the circle,' said Vuyo. 'This is where he started coming into contact with cricket and is now back to thank people and the success that they have achieved. 'It's also to show that if you put your heart into it, you are going to be rewarded. Hopefully, his presence here is going to encourage lots of kids out there to strive for the best as well.' Proteas captain Temba Bavuma and his dad Vuyo Bavuma at the Langa Sports Complex on Friday. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Henk Kruger Independent Media Temba was equally cognisant of the significance of paying homage to "the community who supported me through thick and thin" and the need to bring his Proteas teammates such as Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Tony de Zorzi, Dane Paterson and Wiaan Mulder along with him to Langa. 'Like my dad said, this is where it started. This is where the seed was planted, we got watered. Just to enjoy the passion and love for the game' Temba said. 'I think like anything, there's obviously struggles. If you're going to go for anything of significance, it's going to be tough. 'If it was easy, I think a lot of people would be doing it. But I think I was fortunate to know I had a support system growing up with both my parents. I think that's a big factor. 'My parents were doing well within their careers. So from an inspirational point of view, from a hero point of view, I didn't have to look too far away from home. 'Obviously now, coming back here and sharing this with the people, seeing all the joy that they have, seeing people who ordinarily wouldn't just come to Langa, I think that's a thing in itself.' Equally, Temba hoped that the open-top bus parade through the Langa streets would serve as motivation and a reminder to the current youth that they hail from a talent-rich community that not only gave birth to sports stars, but also legendary South African musicians. 'We were never short of heroes. Langa is rich in sport, arts and culture as well,' he said. 'People like Brenda Fassie, Ringo (Madlingozi) they all come from this area. 'I guess we always had people to aspire to be like.' The Bavuma family has certainly left a legacy in Langa, and it will most likely be carried further by the next generation, particularly after a picture of Temba's son, Lihle, went viral on social media after the toddler, wearing a Baggy Green Proteas' cap, looked up at his father, who was the holding the golden mace in awe, on the Lord's outfield. 'For me, throughout the whole four days, that was probably the best moment of my life,' Temba said. 'He doesn't know what was happening there. He just saw the silver thing with the big ball at its end. 'Obviously, as time goes by, he'll understand the significance. Do I want him to go the cricketing route now? Maybe not … he swings a golf club very well. 'We're happy to deal with that stress. I think as a family, we've had enough of the cricket.' Proteas captain signs autographs for children in Langa on Friday. Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Media Image: Henk Kruger Independent Media
