BY Staff Reporter

Bafana Bafana’s new kid on the block, Belgium-based Ayanda Patosi has been withdrawn from the training camp currently underway.

The forward missed the first training session on Thursday afternoon (27 December 2012) as he was nursing an ankle injury. He trained for only a few minutes on Friday morning (28 December) but felt some discomfort, forcing him to watch the rest of training from the sidelines.

The player has been released from camp and is expected to travel home to Cape Town this evening.

“It is such a pity that he will not be with us due to injury but he is a young man and should be fine. I would have loved to work with him but his injury prevented us from doing so. He is a player for the future, hopefully someday he will return to the national team fold,” said Gordon Igesund.

Patosi sustained the ankle injury in his club’s last league match before heading to South Africa. He is expected to be out of action for three to four weeks.

“I am so disappointed that I will not be part of the AFCON 2013 tournament, I had such high hopes of playing for my country. But being called up for this training camp is in itself a great motivation and will make sure I work harder to return to the national team fold. I really enjoyed my time here, with a great bunch of talented players, unfortunately the injury cut short my stay. I am proud to have come this far and can only wish the boys all the best in the tournament,” said Patosi.

He becomes the third player to be withdrawn from the squad due to injury after striker Benni McCarthy and defender Eric Mathoho.

Meanwhile training got into top gear at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, with all the other players taking part, including Belgium-based Anele Ngcongca and Siyanda Xulu who arrived on Thursday night.

Andile Jali, who also missed Thursday’s training session, managed to complete the gruelling morning session on Friday without a problem.

The players gave their all in a rigorous and arduous training session in hot conditions under the watchful eye of head coach Gordon Igesund and his assistant Serame Letsoaka.

The mini training camp ends tomorrow (Saturday, 29 December) with just one session in the morning before Igesund announces the 23-man Africa Cup of Nations 2013 squad on Sunday, 30 December.

The announcement will take place at the Southern Sun Monte Casino Hotel in Fourways at 15h00.

 “The mood in the camp is very high; they all want to be part of this tournament. Unfortunately, some players will not be selected. Most players are eager to be part of this exercise of playing in this prestigious tournament. We will be hosting AFCON for the second time in our history, and who knows maybe we might make history and win it again,” said midfielder Lerato Chabangu.

His sentiments were echoed by Thuso Phala.

“All the players are excited at the challenge facing us of making the final team. For me, getting this far and being part of the training camp is an achievement on its own. It would be an honour and a dream come true to be selected for AFCON 2013, so I just need to continue working hard. All players are giving 100 percent at training because they want to be selected.

By Staff Reporter

Early detection of police officials who are stressed might prevent incidents of members of the police service killing their partners and thereafter committing suicide, North West Premier Thandi Modise said on Friday.

Premier Modise said that post-traumatic stress disorder associated with conditions that police experience during the course of their work demand for advanced psychological services to ensure that whatever pressures police experience in their personal lives do not trigger violent reaction.

“We are concerned about incidents of violence that have resulted in loss of lives involving members of the police service particularly as they have occurred close to one another” said Modise. 

 The Premier’s comment follows a report that another police officer shot his life-partner dead before turning the gun on himself in Tlhabane near Rustenburg.

According to police, the incident took place during the early hours of the morning after neighbours reportedly overheard the pair arguing before they heard gun shots

Captain Amanda Funani said that the Tlhabane police were called at Geelhout Park in Rustenburg where they found two bodies of a 33 year-old constable and his 32 year-old girlfriend lying on the floor with gunshot wounds.

The incident follows another tragedy in Modimong village near Taung where a 26 year-old Constable Boitumelo Kwate shot his girlfriend Portia Mojakgolo(21) on a hip before turning a gun on himself on Christmas eve.

JOHANNESBURG – South African football was plunged into turmoil in the wake of match-fixing allegations involving high-ranking SA Football Association (Safa) officials, a month before the country was due to host the African Cup of Nations (Afcon) in 2013.

Safa suspended its president, Kirsten Nematandani, and four senior administrators in December after the release of a Fifa report surrounding warm-up games before the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa.

The timing could not have been worse, as Bafana Bafana had been tasked with reaching the semi-finals at the Afcon tournament, otherwise new coach Gordon Igesund could be shown the door.

Bafana were in a rebuilding phase for much of the year, with three different coaches taking control of the national side.

Nematandani said shortly before he was suspended that he was pleased with the progress of the Bafana squad.

“Definitely the end of 2011 was the lowest point for Bafana and so 2012 was a rebuilding exercise,” Nematandani said.

“We are focussed on the immediate task of performing with excellence at the forthcoming Afcon 2013 tournament.

“We have a duty as a host nation to do well for our supporters and Mzansi people.”

Bafana came off a dismal 2011 season when they failed to qualify for the 2012 Afcon competition, and set about their qualifying campaign for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

In the first qualifying match, in June, they hosted Ethiopia at Royal Bafokeng Stadium, but settled for a disappointing 1-1 draw.

The result, and a string of poor performances, resulted in coach Pitso Mosimane being axed two days later.

Steve Komphela was given the job on an interim basis, and while he was in the running for the full-time post, Igesund was appointed as the new man for the job on June 30.

While Komphela was in charge, Bafana drew 1-1 against Botswana

in Gaborone in their second World Cup qualifier, and by the time Igesund was appointed, they had got their qualifying campaign off to a rocky start.

Igesund was given the ultimatum to take the team to the 2014

showpiece and make it through to the last four at the Afcon tournament.

Igesund, the only coach to have won South Africa’s Premiership title with four different clubs, approached the job systematically, and with confidence, which he aimed to instill in his players, insisting that everyone in his squad would need to wear the Bafana

jersey with pride. In six games in charge, Igesund guided the side to slender 1-0 defeats against Brazil and Poland, and a 2-1 victory over Kenya, in three away matches.

In home games, they beat Mozambique 2-0 and Malawi 3-1, while they lost 1-0 to defending Afcon Champions Zambia.

Nematandani was pleased with Igesund’s brief time at the helm.

“The coming on board of coach Gordon Igesund seems to have brought back the excitement which has been missing.

“We are hoping for a good Afcon 2013 tournament because all indicators show that we are moving in the right direction.” – Sapa

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File: (Constable Kwate with his girlfriend Portia Mojakgolo during happier times)

By Obakeng Maje

Rustenburg- Another Police Officer committed suicide in Tlhabane,near Rustenburg and killed his life-partner dead before turning the gun on himself.

“This incident took place during the early hours of the morning and according to neighbours,the two were engaged in an argument before they heard gun shots” provincial police said.

“The Tlhabane police were called at Geelhout Park in Rustenburg. Police found two bodies of a 33 year-old constable and his 32 year-old girlfriend lying on the floor with gun shot wounds” Captain Amanda Funani said.

The Police Management in North West urges their members to make use of Employ Health Wellness(EHW) if they feel depressed.

This follow another tragedy in Modimong village near Taung where a 26 year-old constable Boitumelo Kwate shot his girlfriend Portia Mojakgolo(21) on a hip before turning a gun on himself.