Author: Larson Thebe
Banyana Banyana’s World Cup hopes of being in the 16 are hanging by a thread after letting a 2-0 lead slip up against Argentina in their second Group G game of the FIFA Women’s World Cup at Dunedin Stadium on Friday. South Africa looked set to record their first ever win at the World Cup after goals by Linda Motlhalo and Thembi Kgatlana either side of half-time. However, Argentina pulled one back courtesy of a stunning Sophia Braun strike in the 74th minute and then drew level five minutes later when Romania Nunez headed home. The 2-2 draw result means…
Zambia have become the first African country to crash out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup following Wednesday’s 5-0 drubbing by Spain at Eden Park. The Copper Queens as they are affectionately known in the football circles, were making their debut on the World Cup stage. The success of the Zambian national team encouraged and inspired many young women to take part in the sport in a country where soccer has been dominated by men for a long time. As inspiring as it’s been to see the team compete in the world stage, their journey has come to an…
The Gauteng MEC for Education Matome Chiloane has moved in to condemn the actions of the Grade 8 Crawford International Pretoria College who was dismissed by the school after a video went viral where she was seen writing racist words on the board to the horror of her pupils. After an uproar and condemnations from many South Africans, Crawford College sent a letter to the parents that the school has been made aware of the video containing footage of ‘unacceptable nature’. The school said the teacher involved is a ‘short-term temporary substitute teacher who was brought in a week ago…
Ghana’s parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, joining a long list of African countries that have done so in recent years. The country currently has 170 men and six women on death row, whose sentences will now be replaced by life imprisonment. The last execution took place in 1993. Execution has been the mandatory sentence for murder in Ghana. Opinion surveys suggest that most Ghanaians approve abolition. Last year seven people were sentenced to death in Ghana – but none were executed. Treason has also been punishable by death in Ghana. The bill to amend the Criminal Offences…
The highly anticipated 2023 Netball World Cup will finally see its first centre pass on Friday, 28 July at 9am when defending champions New Zealand (Black Ferns) face Trinidad and Tobago (Calypso Girls). The global showpiece starts on Friday and will run until Sunday 6 August, with 60 matches scheduled across the 10 days. Africa’s maiden World Cup will be held in Cape Town, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where the venue will have two courts with matches taking place simultaneously. The second match of the day will see number 1-ranked side Australia (Diamonds) battle it out with…
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…