Author: Larson Thebe
In their opening World Cup match against Sweden on Sunday in Wellington, Banyana Banyana suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss after giving up a goal in stoppage time. Hilda Magaia gave the South Africans a startling 1-0 lead in the 48th minute, but goals from Fridolina Rolfo and Amanda Ilestedt of Sweden put an end to any fairytale hopes. Coach Desiree Ellis and her team, who had done everything in their power to earn their first-ever World Cup point, were devastated by the outcome. With games remaining in Group G against Argentina and Italy, their campaign is already in jeopardy. The African champions, who entered the World Cup 54th on the FIFA rankings while Sweden are third, were always going to be put to the test as Banyana absorbed wave after wave of Swedish pressure in the continuous downpour.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off on Thursday (20 July), with the African champions Banyana Banyana set to take on Sweden in their first match on Sunday (23 July) at 7am South African time. Desiree Ellis’ charges were crowned Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champs for the very first-time last year and will now test themselves against the best women’s teams in the world. Banyana are making their second appearance in the global showpiece, this time around aiming to make it past the group stages after crashing out in the first round without a win in 2019. Banyana…
Chinese engineers on Thursday broke ground on a new super deep borehole that will burrow far into the Earth’s crust as the country steps up its search for natural resources hidden tens of thousands of feet underground. The hole will eventually reach 10,520 meters (34,514 feet) into the ground at the Sichuan Basin in southwest China, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The region is a major area for gas production and engineers expected to find a natural gas reserve there, the report said. The announcement came just weeks after China began drilling another super deep borehole which is slated…
Women’s cricket is gaining popularity and recognition among cricket lovers around the globe and in a major boost to close the pay gap, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced equal prize money for both men and women at the ICC events. The decision was made during the ICC’s Annual Conference held in Durban, South Africa, marking a significant milestone in ICC’s effort to achieve prize money parity by 2030. This milestone will see teams receive equal prize money for finishing in similar positions at comparable events as well as the same amount for winning matches at those events. “This…
By Wycliffe W. Njororai Simiyu Morocco and Zambia are making their Fifa Women’s World Cup debut in 2023. South Africa must recover their morale after a pay dispute and Nigeria once again leads the charge for the continent. The tournament, hosted by Australia and New Zealand, is being held in the southern hemisphere for the first time – from 20 July until 20 August. It has expanded this year, with 32 nations competing for the trophy instead of 24. This opens up opportunities for new teams to reach the knockout phase (final 16) of the tournament. As a professor and…
Police in Nevada have confirmed they served a search warrant this week in connection with the unsolved killing of rapper Tupac Shakur. Detectives carried out the search at a home in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas where Shakur was gunned down in September 1996. Las Vegas Metropolitan police did not provide further details of the search, citing the ongoing investigation into his murder. Shakur was 25 when he was killed. No arrests have been made and no suspects are currently in custody. The home that was searched is less than 20 miles (32km) from the Las Vegas strip where…
Former Scotland head coach Matt Williams believes the Springboks have “really hit a wall” with their game-plan ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup. The reigning global champions were well beaten by the All Blacks at Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland, as their Rugby Championship hopes look dashed. That result has caused Williams, who is now a television pundit, to criticise South Africa’s playing style as he feels they are struggling against better sides. “I think South Africa’s game-plan has really hit a wall,” he declared as he appeared as a guest on Off The Ball, talking to the show’s presenter…
The trial against the five men accused of killing Bafana Bafana captain, Senzo Meyiwa will start afresh before a new Judge on Tuesday. Judge Ratha Mokgoatlheng will take over the case after Judgement Tshifhiwa Maumela went on sick leave just before his suspension. On Wednesday, Judge Mokgoatlheng postponed the case to allow the defense lawyers to address outstanding issues with the legal aid and for a pre-trial hearing. This after the state prosecutor George Baloyi asked for a postponement to deal with pre-trial hearings and for defense to deal with outstanding issues with legal aid. ‘Now the second point my…
By Willie Tafadzwa Chinyamurindi, Liezel Cilliers and Obrain Tinashe Murire South Africa has a growing unemployment rate. Statistics show the unemployment rate to be above 60% for those aged 15-24 and over 40% for those aged 25-34 years. Rankings from the World Bank position South Africa as having the highest unemployment rate in the world. This runaway unemployment rate not only creates precarious, limiting circumstances for individual young people but also poses a threat to the country’s economic growth and global competitiveness. Another, much more positive statistic from the International Telecommunications Union positions young people as active adopters of technology.…
Johannesburg residents will receive respite during a 58 hour planned water shutdown thanks to the deployment of nearly 150 more water tanks and 65 additional water trucks. “The Johannesburg Metro Police Department is assisting our Soweto depot in providing security for water tankers to ensure water is delivered safely to Soweto communities,” said Johannesburg Water spokeswoman Nombuso Shabalala. “We further implore residents to allow Johannesburg Water to fill water tankers and not hinder or halt this necessary process,” the statement continued. The 58 hour water outage began on Tuesday evening and is anticipated to last until Friday morning early hours.…