Latest news with #Soweto
The South African
a day ago
- Sport
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs vs Asante Kotoko: All eyes on Flavio Silva
Kaizer Chiefs new striker, Flavio Silva, has a chance to silence critics when Amakhosi face Asante Kotoko on Saturday afternoon in the Toyota Cup. After returning for pre-season training in the Netherlands, the Soweto giants will play in front of their home crowd for the first time since signing six new players. Most of the new players are yet to impress, but one player who has been under the microscope is Silva. The 29-year-old scored 42 goals in two seasons in Indonesia but has not impressed during pre-season for his new club. Kaizer Chiefs Marketing Director Jessica Motaung urged fans to give new players a chance. 'My take on the players is that this is pre-season,' she said. 'Players have to be given a chance whether they are coming from the youth or coming from other teams or other places. 'It is important to be given a chance to really get to know the team and get to play with different players. 'So, I think our supporters need to give them time. 'The proof is in the pudding, let the players get on the pitch and do the work as the season progresses,' says Motaung. If Silva can have a good outing against Asante Kotoko, Kaizer Chiefs fans might warm up to him this coming season. A bad game might start a love/hate relationship with the Khosi supporters. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald
‘A humbling moment': Mmusi Maimane credits parents for PhD
Build One SA leader Mmusi Maimane has expressed gratitude after receiving a PhD in public management and governance from the University of Johannesburg, describing it as a 'humbling moment'. 'Thank you for all the kind words, South Africa,' he said on X. The university conferred the Doctor of philosophy degree to Maimane on Monday in a graduation ceremony where former MP Malusi Gigaba was also awarded a PhD. Maimane's study focused on local government challenges between 2014 and 2019 in four metropolitan municipalities: Cape Town, Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and Johannesburg. He has two master's degrees, in public administration and theology, and is an ordained pastor who has preached on local and international platforms. Growing up in Soweto, Maimane credited his parents for laying the foundation for his success, citing the sacrifices they made to invest in his education. 'My mother wasn't able to finish school due to the impact of apartheid. My father worked in a factory,' he said in a UJ podcast. 'I don't come from a family of academics in that sense, yet my parents are much smarter than I am, and to have been able to grow up and complete the journey at UJ is an incredible achievement. 'That sense of accomplishment, not only for my own family, is huge because my parents sacrificed a lot. You don't get a PhD because someone invested in your primary and high school education. My parents sacrificed a lot to give me the right foundations. Otherwise, there's no way I'd be sitting here today with a PhD. It means a lot to them.' Congratulatory messages from politicians have been flowing for Maimane and Gigaba:
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Why you should visit – and stay in – Johannesburg's Soweto
Most days in Soweto you'll see tourist buses rolling through the streets. People peer out of the windows at local neighbourhoods, stop off to visit Nelson Mandela 's home, and possibly browse a few stalls on Vilakazi Street. And it's no wonder the visitors keep coming. This township in Johannesburg, home to roughly a third of the population of the city, holds huge cultural and historical significance. Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Walter Sisulu and Zeph Mothopeng all lived here. It was where South Africa' s Freedom Charter was signed in 1955; it helped foster the Black Consciousness Movement in the 1970s; and was the site of the bloody Soweto uprising in 1976, a major turning point in the fight against apartheid. But after an hour or two, most of which is confined to the inside of a bus, these tourists will leave the suburbs and trundle back to Johannesburg city – then likely head out to Kruger National Park for a safari, perhaps fly down to Durban for a beach break, or maybe make their way to Cape Town to drive out to the beautiful Winelands. Far fewer travellers will spend a full day in the township, and take the time to walk the streets, meet the communities that have grown here and dine at the restaurants where locals eat their meals. Fewer still will decide to stay a night. But to do so is to miss the heart and soul of Soweto. This is why Lebo's Backpackers decided to do things differently. Set up roughly 15 years ago by Lebo Malepa, who had grown up in Soweto and wanted to encourage a type of tourism that was beneficial to the community, the guest house allows visitors to stay within the township and experience the culture of Soweto while mingling with locals and learning about day-to-day life. Rather than pressing their nose against a coach window, guests can cycle or walk around the neighbourhoods, chat to the people who live there, eat at neighbourhood restaurants and then stay in comfortable rooms at the guest house or camp on the well equipped site on the premises. For many, Soweto conjures up images of crime and poverty, and while it is true that both are significant issues, there is far more to these neighbourhoods. An acronym for South Western Township, Soweto first existed as a settlement at the start of the 20th century – although it was in the 1930s that the first township of Orlando was created as the white government hardened its segregationist stance and forced Black people out of the city and suburbs. As its residents battled against the cruelty of apartheid, Soweto became a symbol of resistance and the struggle for democracy. The Soweto of today is very different to that of the 1970s when the world watched protests on the streets and the brutal repression by police. In fact, some have even bemoaned the gentrification of the township. While there are unpaved roads, rundown hostels and homes with rusted corrugated roofs in neighbourhoods where running water and electricity is sporadic or non-existent, there's also a growing middle class who live in gated homes, drive fancy cars and sip cocktails at swanky bars on Vilakazi Street. As is so often the case in South Africa, the inequality is stark – but there is a complexity and nuance to these neighbourhoods that goes far beyond the slum image the city often carries. The staff at Lebo's aim to show this. On a spring afternoon, I stood alongside Lebo's brother Phillip Malepa at the community gardens attached to the hostel on a hill overlooking Soweto, gazing over the vast expanse of the township across to Johannesburg's abandoned mine dumps in the distance, where many of the city's residents once worked. Lebo Malepa spent much of his life working among tourists, from his early days selling T-shirts and trinkets at market stalls to renting out a room to travellers in the family home, and then buying bicycles and tuk-tuks to take visitors around. He died on Christmas Day 2021, aged just 46, but his wife Maria and family continue to run the hostel and tours, employing local Sowetans and working closely with residents to create a model that benefits the community. Maria explains that is it important to visit the 'tourist sites' like Nelson Mandela's house; the bustling Vilakazi Street filled with stalls, shops and cafes; and the Hector Pieterson memorial that tells the story of the 1976 Soweto uprising in which hundreds were killed (the image of the lifeless 12-year-old Pieterson being carried away from the violence is one of the most heart-wrenching of the apartheid era), but Lebo's tours aim to go further. By travelling by bicycle or on foot, visitors can take their time and visit places that are not well known, but tell so much about the story of Soweto and apartheid. While in the city, I was taken to see the hostels where male labourers were split up and housed when Black South Africans were brought to Soweto as a cheap labour force for the surrounding mines. Maria explained how a visit like this helps visitors explore some of the lesser-known parts of Soweto's history. She points to the single women's hostel that she says acts as a reminder of the female struggle both during apartheid and after democracy, and Meadowlands where the government divided groups by race after forcibly removing them from Sophiatown in Johannesburg, which had been declared a 'white' neighbourhood in the 1950s. 'I think so much of your understanding of the country starts here,' she told me. 'By coming here you will leave South Africa really having understood a little bit more. This sort of experience really kind of gets under your skin. I think it's something that we can't really touch and we don't even quite know how to explain it.' I was visiting South Africa with travel company Intrepid. Clinton Els, Intrepid's regional general manager for Africa and the Middle East, explained to me that the company felt it was important not only to enable their travellers to experience this side of the city, but also to ensure it was done in an authentic way that benefits the local communities. He added: 'It saddens me that some tour companies treat Soweto like an attraction by just viewing it through the windows of a bus before moving on to the next point of interest. These are real people, living in a real community. It's important for people to experience the 'real' Soweto – not just certain streets and flashy houses, but the areas that've been somewhat ignored and forgotten.' After exploring the city – including a stop at a local restaurant for a snack of beef cheek and a maize dish called pap – we join other travellers at the backpackers hostel to share a lunch of stews and curries with ingredients sourced from the market and community gardens, cooked the traditional way over an open fire. Meals are served in the outdoor restaurant, which is a revamped former dump site that has been turned into a very pleasant park. Beyond the hostel's ground, you will also find good local food at the Disoufeng Pub & Restaurant in Meadowlands and Native Rebels in Jabavu, or you can watch performances at Sawubona Music Jam, a weekly live music event held every Tuesday in Chiawelo. While in Soweto I also spoke with Joseph Tshehla, one of Intrepid's guides who lives in the township with his young son. He told me: 'Soweto is home to the African saying Ubuntu – 'I am what I am because of who we all are.' In Soweto, locals make sure the door is always open for neighbours to come knock when they need sugar.' He adds: 'You need to walk through the town to get a feel for being part of the community and understand the history. Just driving through won't let you fully experience the culture.' Maybe a day or two here will only let you scratch the surface and get a taste of what Soweto is truly like (in fact, Maria recommends spending a week or more). But it is a taste that will allow you to see beyond the crime statistics and news reports. Most importantly, you can speak to those who call the city their home, share meals and listen to music – and that's something you certainly can't experience through a bus window. Annabel was travelling in South Africa as a guest of Intrepid Travel. Intrepid Travel runs two tours that include the Soweto experience with Lebo's Backpackers. The Experience Southern Africa (16 days, from £3,259pp) tour takes travellers through South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, including stunning nature, encounters with endangered species and the chance to stay in local communities.
Mail & Guardian
5 days ago
- Sport
- Mail & Guardian
From Soweto to Great Hall: Football's doctor of dreams
Honoured : Graduates wore Kaizer Chiefs jerseys under their academic gowns when Kaizer Motaung received his doctorate. Photo: Supplied In a week when academia and football crossed paths in a celebration of legacy, Kaizer Motaung — founder of Kaizer Chiefs Football Club — strode into the annals of South African history. At the age of 80, 'The Chairman' received an honorary doctorate in commerce from the University of the Witwatersrand, a rare moment when the beautiful game met the halls of scholarship. This wasn't just a ceremonial hat-tip to a beloved football icon. It was a recognition of a man who built an empire from the streets of Orlando East, reimagined the game for black South Africans during apartheid and created one of the most revered clubs on the continent. Motaung's journey reads like a script written in defiance of odds — with football as both a cultural force and economic engine. When Kaizer Motaung launched his eponymous club in 1970, he wasn't just founding a team, he was making a statement. Inspired by a stint with Atlanta Chiefs in the United States, where he shared the pitch with legends such as Brazil's Pele, Motaung returned home with a dream — to build a professional football outfit with international flair and local pride. He had worn the black-and-white of Orlando Pirates. But now he envisioned something new — gold and black jerseys with a Native American chief's silhouette. Kaizer Chiefs was born in Soweto amid doubt, scorn and admiration. 'We had no resources, no fanbase and no guarantees,' Motaung recalled at the Wits graduation ceremony. 'But we had vision, we had grit.' That grit would turn Chiefs into a powerhouse not only in local football, but in African sport and pop culture. Today, the club boasts more than 14 million supporters. For generations of young South Africans, it was more than a team, it became an identity. I first met Kaizer in the early 1970s through an unlikely confluence of football, apartheid-era travel restrictions and a shared community of resisters. At the time, the segregationist laws prohibited black teams from staying in hotels designated for white people. Motaung and his squad had to be accommodated at the newly opened Palm Springs Hotel in the coloured-zoned suburb of Wentworth, south of Durban. The hotel, owned by the enterprising Twynham brothers, became a safe haven for Kaizer Chiefs — and an informal hub for sporting activism. As a young sports journalist — and through my own ties to the Twynhams — I found myself welcomed into that circle. My fellow football-playing brother Jagethesan John Padayachee and I were invited to join the Chiefs entourage to Umlazi Stadium for a league clash against AmaZulu. We sat beside the legendary coach Eddie Lewis. Lawrence Ngubane commanded AmaZulu's defence. Somewhere in the family albums, there's a photograph taken by The Star's Fanyana Shuburi: two suited brothers walking alongside Kaizer Motaung. It was more than a photo op, it was history in motion. Fast forward to 15 July 2025, inside the Wits Great Hall where Motaung addressed a new generation of graduates in commerce, law and entrepreneurship. Some wore their academic gowns over Kaizer Chiefs jerseys. Others, including Motaung's grandchildren, had chosen Wits as their academic home. The ululations echoed through the hall as Motaung took the stage. 'Nelson Mandela taught us that education is the most powerful tool to change the world,' he said. 'To the Class of 2025, use your talents and skills to empower others and build a better South Africa.' Wits's chancellor, Judy Dlamini, called Motaung a 'unicorn' — a figure of rare integrity and effect. 'Build institutions that not only survive but thrive,' she told the graduates. 'Just as Kaizer Motaung has done.' Vice-chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi reflected on how Wits Football Club defied apartheid. In 1978, they became the first integrated team to play in Soweto. They once beat Chiefs in a Mainstay Cup final — but in the stands, fans had already chosen their revolutionaries in boots. Kaizer Motaung's achievements transcend football trophies. He helped pioneer South Africa's 2010 World Cup bid, served on the organising committee and mentored countless players who went on to represent Bafana Bafana on the world stage. The award-winning entrepreneur received the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver for his contributions to sport and business. But it's his humility that disarms even the most seasoned observer. 'We faced obstacles — financial struggles, logistical nightmares, sceptics — at every turn,' he told the Wits audience. 'But we never gave up. Perseverance, hard work and belief carried us through.' He paid tribute to his wife, Julegka, 'my rock', and to his parents for their moral compass. And he did not forget the fans and sponsors — 'the soul of Kaizer Chiefs'. In a moment that silenced even the click of cameras, Motaung quoted former US first lady Eleanor Roosevelt: 'The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.' Then he added: 'Whether you choose sport, business or community work, success is within your reach. Stay focused, stay driven and always believe in yourselves.' For me, as a chronicler of anti-apartheid struggle and sport, it was a full-circle moment. Kaizer Motaung began his career when apartheid's walls loomed large. He ends it — if it can ever truly end — with a doctorate, a thriving club and millions who call him 'Chairman'. South Africa has produced many footballers, but few become institution-builders, social innovators and national treasures. Now, with cap and gown added to the gold and black, Dr Kaizer Motaung belongs to history. Motaung's milestones illustrate an extraordinary example of sporting excellence: 1944: Born, Soweto 1968: Joins Atlanta Chiefs (US), North American Soccer League Rookie of the Year 1970: Founds Kaizer Chiefs FC 1978: Leads Chiefs into non-racial National Premier Soccer League 2010: Member of SA Fifa World Cup bid and local organising committee 2025: Receives honorary doctorate in commerce from Wits University. Marlan Padayachee is a veteran correspondent of South Africa's transition to democracy, and is now a freelance journalist, photographer and researcher.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Why Kaizer Chiefs can't afford another striker misfire
PORTUGUESE striker Flavio Silva has so far devided opinions after signing for Kaizer Chiefs. | @KaizerChiefs Kaizer Chiefs have taken steps to fix their long-standing striker problem, but with past failures still fresh in memory, their next signing simply cannot afford to be another letdown. After years of frustration up front, the Soweto giants have once again gone into the market in search of goals. Christian Saile and Ranga Chivaviro were both released after failing to make the desired impact, while Tashreeq Morris has yet to win over the technical team. In response, Chiefs moved quickly to bring in Portuguese striker Flávio Silva from Indonesian club Persebaya Surabaya. Silva, 29, is not a young prospect or a player signed for potential — he's expected to deliver immediately. But already, question marks are forming around his fitness and sharpness, especially after a pre-season campaign that has not inspired universal confidence. Some supporters have voiced concerns, wary of another stop-gap solution in a position that has been mishandled far too often in recent years.
