The five nominees for South Africa’s Sports Star of the Year for 2013 have been announced. The candidates are Bafana Bafana Captain Itumeleng Khune, swimmer Chad le Clos, wheelchair tennis ace Lucas Sithole, cricketer Hashim Amla and runner Mapaseka Makhanya.

The nominees were announced by Sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

The winner will be decided by public vote, and will be named at the South African Sports Awards in November.

Sithole has been nominated in two categories for next month’s South African Sports Awards. Sithole, the first black South African to win a singles title at the US Tennis Open, was nominated in the Sportsman of the Year with a Disability and Sports Star of the Year category.

The nominees for the main awards at the South African Sports Awards are:

Sportsman of the Year:

Itumeleng Khune (soccer); Hashim Amla (cricket) and Cameron van den Berg (swimming)

Sportswomen of the Year:

Mapaseka Makhanya (athletics); Lee-Ann Pace (golf) and Mandisa Williams (rugby)

Team of the Year:

SA Rugby; the Proteas and Kaizer Chiefs

Coach of the Year:

Heynecke Meyer (rugby); Holger Losch (wheelcahir tennis) and Graham Hill (swimming)

Newcomer of the Year:

Bianca Buitendag (surfing) Thatho Tsomole (wheelchair tennis) and Guilio Zorzi (swimming

Sports Star of the Year (to be decided by public vote)

Itumeleng Khune (soccer); Chad le Clos (swimming); Lucas Sithole (wheelchair tennis); Hashim Amla (cricket) and Mapaseka Makhanya (athletics)
For more http://www.sabc.co.za