Bafana's road to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil commences

Bafana Bafana will play against Ethiopia on Sunday in a World Cup Qualifier. The South African football fratenity should not be at all intimidated by their Eastern African counterparts looking at the difference in FIFA World Rankings but Bafana Bafana have not won a single game in their last six outings, their last win was against Burkina Faso when their rare goal-scoring prowess came and flawless football came into play.

-South Africa has dropped 24 places and our currently ranked 71st in world football. South Africans will be hoping that the national team captain, Steven Pienaar shows the same brilliant form he has displayed for his English team-Everton. Pienaar inspired his English club to  a Europa Cup position with his gola-scoring ability and his overall performances. This is also a good opportunity for South African national football team to prove that they can qualify for a global showpiece without being hosts-somrthing that they have been mocked and criticized of since the country now has missed out on two successive AFCON tournaments. Bafana Bafana's most recent  AFCON tournament in appearances were in 2006&2008 tournaments where they were eliminated in the group stages by teams that did not even pose a threat of lifting the coveted  main African football prize.

Charles Taylor senteced to 50 years in prinson

The Hague-Charles Taylor was born in 1948 in Liberia was a protege during Samuel Doe 's coup of 1984 that overthrew the then president of Liberia . His mother is from the Gola indeginous ethnic group from Liberia, and his father is an Americo-Liberia,hence many people think that Charles came up with the name "Ghankay" to be loved by the indeginous people.

-The 64 year-old former President of Liberia was sentenced by the International Criminal Court in Netherlands to half-century in jail for the war crimes and his involvement in the civil war  of Sierra Leone that turned the small west Arican country into a bloodbath during the 1990's.Charles Taylor is charged of disrepct of humanity,child labour murder, rape and supplying Sierra Leone rebels weapons in exchange of blood diamonds.

-Taylor's lawyers claimed that the sentence was too harsh considering that the culprit is too old, family man his bad health condition and he voluntary stepped down from the presidential position nine years ago. Taylor's lawyers have decided to appeal the court's decision. It is for the first time that a former state president has been charged of war crimes since the Nurenberg trials in Germany. Charles Taylor's lawyers said that all warlords should be accountable regardless of their nationalities.

Boks should be weary of the English

In two weeks time the two time World Champions,the Springboks will be playing England in our own backyard and it wi;ll be Heyneke Meter's first match in charge of the three-time tri-nation champions. Under their new mentor, Lancaster England plays attacking, quick and running rugby and that was evident when they devastated and constantly broke the leaky defence lines of the Barbarians last Saturday in Twickenham Stadium. The English scored nine tries to convinclingly beat the Barbarians who only mamaged to cross the white chalk four times. The scoreline 59-26 suggested the true nature of the game in which the Mighty Roses of England dominated every aspect of inluding rucks, mauls and defensively.

-What should also intimidate the Boks is that Engalnd played a Barbarian side that was full of world-reknowned rugby stars such as Mills Muliaina of New Zealand who has represented his country on more than one hundred occassions, he is a gold medal winner of the IRB Rugby World Cup 2007 and he has won many tri-nation trophies and Bledisloe Cup with the All Blacks and he is a Super 14 finalist. The "Barbars" were captained by another colossus of the game in the form of John Smit who has one everything there is to win in rugby, yet they fell dismally short.

-The Springboks also lost key players to retirement from international rugby and are plying their trade all over the world. It would be intersting how the Springboks will take on such a confident English team and how Meyer will start his international career as he is a highly recommended man having led the Blue Bulls to both Super14 and Currie Cup champions.

Matsantsantsa defeat Sundowns in an enthroling cup final derby

Saturday the 26th of May we witnessed  Supersport United clinch their maiden cup title under the reign of their mentor Gavin Hunt who has won three consecutive league titles with the Pretoria outfit. The final was an all-Pretoria affair and both teams from the capital were looking for their first piece of silverware this season despite Mamelodi Sundowns taking an early summit position on the PSL log. At one stage Iminwana phezulu" were nine points clear from everyone unil their poor run of form cripped in.

-Supersport United started the match like a house on fire and they were rewarded when Thabo September scored from a corner kick through a header delivered by the energetic Kermit Erasmus from the left flank.

-Before that, midway through the first half Sundown lost a significant defender in he form of Clayton Daniels when the former Ajax Cape Town defender fouled Kermit Erasmus on the edge of the 18-yard area. He was immediately sent off.

-Eleven minutes from time Kermit Erasmus' hard work and commit was rewarded when he scored a goal that sealed the victory for the Pretoria giants to ensure them a trophy on the cabinet this season and th victory guaranteed them a spot in Africa's CAF Confederations Cup next season. This was a good farewell for United's captain Morgan Gould who will be on the rankd of Amakhosi next season. Congrats to Matsantsantsa a pitori!

Moeneeb Josephs releases himself from Bafana Bafana duty

- Moeneeb Josephs has cutted ties with the national team and he is according to him "wont be available for future considerations. The 32 year old Orlando Pirates goal keeper who has won many accolades with the Soweto outfit including two consercutive league titles says one of his reasons is that he is getting no no younger any more. The interim coach at Pirates claimed that Joseph is retiring from international its because he is tired as he playes regualarly at club level for the "sea robbers".

-If "slimkat" ( Moeneeb) as he is affectionately called by football supporters in South Africa doesnt consider changing his mind then the South African goalkeeping department will suffer considering the fact that Itumeleng Khune of Kaizer who is also the number one goalkeeper in SA is the only with World Cup and AFCON experience apart from the recently retired former Ajax Cape Town shot-stopper Moeneeb Josephs.

Next week the Friday 01 June, the goal-line technology will be used in a match between England and Belgium in a match that will be played in the English capital in Wembley Stadium. Football pundits share contrasting emotions about the intoduction of this new technology in the world of football as some who are against it claim that the introduction of goal-line technology will slow the speed of the game and curb if not the controversy and drama that makes "the beautiful game" the world's most loved and supported sporting code.

Others will argue though that controversy and drama comes at the expense of some else's tears and bad luck, and sone else being crowned a hero while he does not "deserve it".
A few examples of the moments where if the goal-line technology was introduced the course of football history would have been completly changed to something else.

-The infamous "hand of God goal" scored by Diego Maradona against England in the 1986 World Cup. Argentina ended up winning the World Cup
-Thierry Henry(France) used his hand to control and pass the ball to Wikkiam Gallas who scored the goal that took France to the World Cup finals in South Africa. France were playing Ireland.
-Frank Lampard's denied goal in a last sixteen match against Germany at the stage where it was all square in terms of score line at one all. Germany went on to win 4-1.

-There are plenty other moments but these are the few that had an impact on who will be crowned World Cup champions or who will participate in the globe's greatest footballing festival
- With Euro championships coming up next month the presence or absence of the goal-line technology will have a major influence or impact on the destination of the Europe's prestigious football tournament

Metrorail's transport system is poor!

Last week Thursday May the 17th 2012 I decided to catch the 08:00 train in Mount Ruth in Mdantsane-because my first class was at  09:00 so I would still be early for my Word Processing class as the jourmey from Mount Ruth (one of the five train stations in Mdantsane) takes 50 minutes to the East London's CBD when travelling by a train. To my surprise when I arrived at the train station there were more people than usual who were waiting for the train and most of the waiting passengers were pupils in their different school uniforms. When I asked one of the people I knew as to why so many people were waiting for the train including dtudents so late, he replied that the train which was scheduled to arrive at 06:55 did not arrive and some of the passengers were intending to catch that train but unfortunately it did not arrive and they were stuck the for more than an hour. They could not go and catch a taxi because they did not have the money and were promised to be transported by train that was was to be fetched by a locomotive somewhere between Fort Jackson and Egerton in Mdantsane. When I left the train at approximatelty quarter past eight the locomotive that was suppose to fetch the stuck train also stuck and I had to sacrifice my pocket money to catch a taxi to school and avoid being late.

-Yesterday I took a the 09:00 train but it also arrived late by seven minutes. When it was suppose to leave it did not and we were not even informed why it was not going. 10 more minutes later one of the Metrorail workers informed us that the locomotive of the train was on fire and the diesel was leaking so we were all at risk. He also said that the train will leave at one o oclock earliest, and people again sufferes and as for me Idid what I did a week later to get to school: sacrifice my pocket money. Metrorail is failing its customers and this issue needs to be  adresses as it affects the poor daily commuters.

The Spear portrait: saga continues

Yesterday tv and radio news aired that the Spear portrait showing Zuma's private has been vandalized by two men. The men covered the portrait in black and red paint. One of the "vandalizers" was physically assaulted by the security guard and has opened a case of abuse and assault against the security guard of the Goodman Gallery. The men claim that they dont know each other it was the first time that they were together and they did not plan to duke the painting.

One other man was arrested outside the building for vandalism, he was caught by the police trying to write something on the gallery's wall. e.tv reporter said that she assumed that the man arrested was trying to write the word "respect" and as he was arrested he kept on shouting "lets show the president respect".

ANC supporters flocked to the gallery in Rosebank chanting songs in support of Zuma. The president is used to this situation of being shown support by the ruling party's supporters as the case was when he was accused of rape. The most uncomfortable thing about Zuma supporters is that they wrote racist comments on their demonstration cards and that is bad for a country who is still on a reconciliation phase and with a young democracy.

the controversial potrait

It is amazing what the constitution of the republic can allow or approve of as freedom of speech and expression. In the last few days Brett Murray-a cartoonist draw a portrait of President Zuma with his male genitalea exposed.The portrait sparked a lot of debate and made headlines all over the republic in all forms of media. Zuma supporters see the portrait as invasion of privacy and therefore Murray should be held accountable while others claim that cartooonists are free to publish anything. It is not for the first time that an artistic work of this nature that features the state's president has been made accessible for public consumption. Zapiro once drew a cartoon where Zuma was taking off his trouser with senior ANC officials holding a woman titled ''MOTHER JUSTICE'' in what seemed like a gang rape. Whether Brett was honestly producing artistic works/material or his portrait of Zuma with his private part uncovered was political minded remains to be seen. A fact that cannot be disputed is that the portrait made front page news in newspapers and was opening story in tv and radio for the past few days with the president rarely making any comments.