Roger de Sa insists he does not have to ‘psych up’ his players for the Telkom Knockout Final, despite the fact that Orlando Pirates have already lost two cup finals this season.

The Buccaneers are up against Platinum Stars at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday night, in a repeat of the MTN8 Final, which was won by Dikwena.

Pirates also came out second best in the CAF Champions League Final, which was won by Egyptian super club Al Ahly.

The TKO will be in their third cup final in four months.

So faced with two recent cup final defeats, how do you psyche up your players? De Sa says it should not be necessary.

“You know what, if you have to psyche up a player for a cup final then that guy shouldn’t be playing,” the coach responds.

“For players, this is their job; this is what they want to be doing, and you can see that every day at training.

“What I have especially noticed at Pirates is that there is a great hunger for success and determination to succeed and that is why they won trebles in the past.

“I see it in them in that they always give it their best, although the reality is that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. The players themselves are always well motivated.

“Actually, you shouldn’t have to motivate anybody to play in a cup final.”

This is De Sa’s second Telkom Knockout final in three years, after his former team Bidvest Wits was floored by the team he is now in charge of two years ago.

The former Bafana Bafana goalkeeper notes that despite the weekend loss against Bloemfontein Celtic there has been a lift in spirits at training this week – a rare week in which Bucs have seven days to prepare for a match.

“The mood is good and the mindset is good. I think I definitely saw an improvement at training yesterday because we didn’t play midweek.

“It is not every week that we get a full week of training so the guys have rested a bit and we have got them to recover as well. There was a little bit of a spring in their step yesterday and they are revitalised and freshened up.

“The guys are very happy to be in another cup final and to have another opportunity to win something,” he adds.

Pirates will be minus the injured duo of Siyabonga Sangweni and Patrick Phungwayo, while Rooi Mahamutsa still needs to be assessed, although he has been back at training.
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Johannesburg – Nelson Mandela, who was separated from his family by nearly three decades in an apartheid prison, endured a long history of heartache in his private life.

His last high-profile heartache came when his great-granddaughter died in a car crash on the eve of the 2010 World Cup, Africa’s first, an event Mandela was instrumental in bringing to the country.

Thirteen-year-old Zenani Mandela was a favourite of Mandela’s and was chosen to carry the Confederations Cup trophy onto the podium at the final at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park in June 2009.

Her death was the latest in a long line of family tragedies for the world’s best-loved statesman who witnessed the loss of three of his children and two broken marriages.

Mandela, who died on Thursday aged 95, was plunged into mourning during his first marriage to Evelyn Ntoko Mase, when their baby daughter Makaziwe died at just nine months in 1947.

The couple’s oldest son, Madiba Thembekile, was then killed in a car accident in 1969, while Mandela was in prison on Robben Island.

At the time he was serving a life sentence for his role in creating the armed wing of the African National Congress, and the apartheid authorities refused to allow him to attend the funeral.

He was also barred from attending his mother’s funeral the previous year.

Political struggle

In his first memoir, “Long Walk to Freedom”, Mandela wrote of the pain he felt at missing the funerals and his guilt at putting the political struggle before his family.

“Had I made the right choice in putting the people’s welfare even before that of my own family?” he asked.

“In South Africa it is hard for a man to ignore the needs of the people, even at the expense of his own family,” he said.

“But that did not lessen the sadness I felt.”

Mandela’s other son with Mase, Makgatho Lewanika Mandela, died of an Aids-related illness in 2005.

He spoke openly about the cause of his son’s death, becoming one of the first public figures to break the taboo around the AIDS epidemic that had engulfed South Africa on its way to becoming the world’s worst-affected country.

“Let us give publicity to HIV/Aids and not hide it, because the only way of making it appear to be a normal illness… is always to come out and say somebody has died because of HIV,” he said.

Mandela’s marriage to Mase ended in divorce in 1958. He married Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in June the same year, but that marriage also ended unhappily.

Long imprisonment

After surviving Mandela’s long imprisonment, the couple separated two years after his release in 1990, and divorced in 1996 during Mandela’s term as South Africa’s first democratically-elected president.

Winnie had surrounded herself with a band of thugs christened the Mandela United Football Club who murdered a young activist called Stompie Sepei.

He stood by her when she was convicted for kidnapping Sepei and only in 1992 announced their separation.

Winnie’s six-year sentence was suspended on appeal and in 1994 she was made a deputy minister in his government, but was later sacked for insubordination.

She was elected to parliament in 2009, and she remains a prominent political voice.

Mandela remarried again in 1998, to Graca Machel, who is herself no stranger to tragedy. Her first husband, Mozambican president Samora Machel, was killed in a mystery air crash in northern South Africa in 1986.

– AFP

Johannesburg – Nelson Mandela was a “second Jesus” for what he had done for the world, said one of the people who had gathered outside his former home in Vilakazi Street in Soweto on Friday.

“We are not here to mourn but to commemorate, honour, and celebrate him because of everything he has done,” said Lerato Hlongwane of Dobsonville.

She said she felt relieved that the country’s former president had died because the pain and emotional trauma the family had been going through “was too much”.

“I think it was time that God excused him,” Hlongwane said.

She was among a handful of people who sang and danced in the chilly weather until daylight.

The group marched up and down the street and around the block singing songs praising Madiba and the role he played in the struggle against apartheid. Police officers patrolled the street and took pictures of the flowers and the roses being placed for Mandela.

Mandela died at his home in Houghton around 8.50pm on Thursday.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – Former president Nelson Mandela sacrificed everything in his life for the political liberation of the country, the Economic Freedom Fighters said on Friday.

“The determination of Nelson Mandela to fight for what was basic logic of political emancipation is among the greatest in the history of humanity,” the EFF said in a statement.

“Nelson Mandela fought tirelessly to gain political power, democracy, and freedom, and handed over the baton for those who had to fight for economic freedom.”

President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela had died peacefully at his Johannesburg home on Thursday night.

The EFF sent its condolences to the Mandela family and close friends.

“We thank the Madibas for the great gift you have given the people of South Africa, Africa and the world in the person of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.

“You gave us many years of his long life, spent fighting for genuine freedom and the revelation of the human spirit,” the party said.

– Share your memories of Nelson Mandela with us.
– SAPA

Johannesburg – A pall hung over Parliament on Friday after the news of former president Nelson Mandela’s death, National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu said.

“[A] real pain chills all who work in [Parliament’s] precinct,” he said in a statement.

“It is a pain we share with millions of people throughout our land, our continent Africa, and beyond.”

After Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990, he promised during his first address at the Cape Town City Hall to place the remaining years of his life in the hands of the people.

It was a promise he fulfilled in a myriad of ways, Sisulu said.

“It is a promise, to which we, the elected representatives of the people, must recommit ourselves, if our mourning today is not to be reduced to mere maudlin.

“To our great hero, the icon of humility, selflessness and forgiveness, the world’s very symbol of humanity, to you Madiba, we say, go well dear father, comrade, and friend,” he said.

Parliament sent its condolences to Mandela’s wife Graca Machel, his family, and friends.

Sisulu said a special joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament would be held soon to reflect on Mandela’s life and legacy. A book of condolences would also be opened for messages of support by MPs and the public.

“Madiba’s life as a being living among us has ended. But there is no one more alive than Madiba,” he said.

“He lives on in our commitment to entrenching a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic society in which all live a decent life, free of hunger and want.”

President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela died on Thursday night at his Houghton, Johannesburg, home surrounded by family. He was 95.

– Share your memories of Nelson Mandela with us.
– SAPA

Johannesburg – Almost two decades later South Africa is not the country former president Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday, said it would become, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

“Inequality and poverty remain rife, the education and health sectors are inadequate, and South Africa remains divided by racial separation and deep economic inequality,” Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said in a statement.

“Mandela led South Africa out of darkness and brutality… The country’s next generation of leaders would do well to live up to his high standards and fervent commitment to human rights.”

Roth said Mandela fought bravely for basic human rights.

“Mandela’s life epitomised the fight for freedom, equality, and justice, all core human rights ideals.”

President Jacob Zuma announced that Mandela died on Thursday night at his Houghton, Johannesburg, home surrounded by family. He was 95.

Zuma said flags around the country would be flown at half-mast from Friday until after Mandela’s funeral.

– SAPA

Johannesburg – South Africans woke on Friday to a future without Nelson Mandela, and some said they feared the anti-apartheid hero’s death could leave their country vulnerable again to racial and social tensions that he did so much to pacify.

As dawn broke and commuters headed to work in the capital, Pretoria, the commercial hub, Johannesburg, and Cape Town in the south, many were still in shock at the passing of a man who was a global symbol of reconciliation and peaceful co-existence.

South Africans heard President Jacob Zuma tell them late on Thursday that the former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate passed away peacefully at his Johannesburg home in the company of his family after a long illness.

Despite reassurances from leaders and public figures that Mandela’s passing, while sorrowful, would not halt South Africa’s advance away from its bitter apartheid past, some still expressed a sense of unease about the physical absence of a man famed as a peacemaker.

“It’s not going to be good, hey! I think it’s going to become a more racist country. People will turn on each other and chase foreigners away,” said Sharon Qubeka, aged 28, a secretary from Tembisa township as she headed to work in Johannesburg.

“Mandela was the only one who kept things together,” she said.

Growing protests

An avalanche of tributes continued to pour in on Friday for Mandela, who had been ailing for nearly a year with a recurring lung illness dating back to the 27 years he spent in apartheid jails, including the notorious Robben Island penal colony.

US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron were among world leaders and dignitaries who paid fulsome tribute to Mandela as a moral giant and exemplary beacon for the world.

American talk show host Oprah Winfrey added her voice to the tributes, saying Mandela “will always be my hero”.

“His life was a gift to us all,” she said in a statement.

But for South Africa, the loss of its most beloved leader comes at a time when the nation, which basked in global goodwill after apartheid ended, has been experiencing bloody labour unrest, growing protests against poor services, poverty, crime and unemployment and corruption scandals tainting Zuma’s rule.

Many saw today’s South Africa – the African continent’s biggest economy but also one of the world’s most unequal – still distant from being the “Rainbow Nation” ideal of social peace and shared prosperity that Mandela had proclaimed on his triumphant release from prison in 1990.

“I feel like I lost my father, someone who would look out for me. Already as a black person with no connections you are disadvantaged,” said Joseph Nkosi, aged 36, a security guard from Alexandra township in Johannesburg.

Referring to Mandela by his clan name, he added: “Now without Madiba I feel like I don’t have a chance. The rich will get richer and simply forget about us. The poor don’t matter to them. Look at our politicians, they are nothing like Madiba”.

Flags flew at half mast across the country and Zuma has announced a full state funeral for South Africa’s first black president, who emerged from prison to help guide the country through bloodshed and turmoil to democracy.

‘Life will carry on’

Just hours after the news of Mandela’s death, one of his veteran anti-apartheid comrades, former Archbishop of Cape Town Desmond Tutu, sought to assuage fears that the revered statesman’s absence could revive some of the violent ghosts of apartheid.

“To suggest that South Africa might go up in flames – as some have predicted – is to discredit South Africans and Madiba’s legacy,” Tutu said in a reassuring statement.

“The sun will rise tomorrow, and the next day and the next … It may not appear as bright as yesterday, but life will carry on,” Tutu said.

Zuma and his ruling African National Congress face presidential and legislative elections next year which are expected to reveal widespread discontent among voters about persisting poverty and unemployment two decades after the end of apartheid.

But the former liberation movement is expected to maintain its dominance over South African politics, despite the absence of one of its most towering figures.

“It is painful losing him but the ANC is going to stay strong and be dominant. The party is powerful and will stay in power,” said office worker Tumi Matshidiso, aged 27.

Mark Rosenberg, Senior Africa Analyst at the Eurasia Group, said that while Mandela’s death might give the ANC a sympathy-driven boost for elections due next year, it would hurt the party in the long term.

He saw Mandela’s absence “sapping the party’s historical legitimacy and encouraging rejection by voters who believe the ANC has failed to deliver on its economic promises and become mired in corruption”.

“In short, Mandela’s death will further de-couple the ANC from the liberation struggle on which it still bases much of its legitimacy,” Rosenberg said in a briefing note.

Although Zuma’s initial announcement of Zuma’s death left the country hushed, later a crowd gathered overnight outside Mandela’s old house in Vilakazi Street, Soweto, to sing songs in his praise.

“Mandela you brought us peace” was one of the songs.

Democratic model for Africa

Mandela rose from rural obscurity to challenge the might of white minority rule – a struggle that gave the 20th century one of its most respected and loved figures.

He was among the first to advocate armed resistance to apartheid in 1960 but was quick to preach reconciliation and forgiveness when the country’s white minority began easing its grip on power 30 years later.

He was elected president in landmark all-race elections in 1994 after helping to steer the racially divided country towards reconciliation and away from civil war.

“His greatest legacy is that we are basically at peace with each other,” FW de Klerk, the white Afrikaner president who released Mandela in 1990, told the BBC in an interview.

Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, an honour he shared with de Klerk.

In 1999, Mandela handed over power to younger leaders better equipped to manage a modern economy – a rare voluntary departure from power cited as an example to African leaders.

This made him an exception on a continent with a bloody history of long-serving autocrats and violent coups.

In retirement, Mandela shifted his energies to battling South Africa’s Aids crisis, a struggle that became personal when he lost his only surviving son to the disease in 2005.

Mandela’s last major appearance on the global stage came in 2010 when he attended the championship match of the soccer World Cup hosted by South Africa.-Reuter

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United Nations – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Nelson Mandela was “a giant for justice” whose “selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom” inspired many people around the world.

“No one did more in our time to advance the values and aspirations of the United Nations,” Ban told reporters soon after Mandela’s death was announced on Thursday.

Ban said he was deeply touched when he met Mandela at his residence in South Africa in February 2009.

“When I thanked him for his life’s work, he insisted the credit belonged to others,” Ban said. “I will never forget his selflessness and deep sense of shared purpose.”

The UN Security Council interrupted a meeting on the tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and stood for a minute in silent tribute to Mandela.

‘Power to transform’

Argentina’s UN Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval, who had been speaking, called Mandela “a man who gave hope to the entire world”.

“Good men and women, men such as Mandela resisted and taught us to resist fear … to resist oblivion,” she said.

The Security Council said in a statement later that “Mandela will forever be remembered as someone who gave up so much of his life in the struggle for freedom, so that millions could have a brighter future”.

The UN General Assembly in 2009 adopted a resolution declaring Nelson Mandela International Day, the first ever international day in honour of an individual. It is celebrated every year on July 18, his birthday.

“The members of the Security Council consider this to be a reflection of the magnitude of Nelson Mandela’s contribution to freedom and justice,” the council said.

“Nelson Mandela day is a celebration of the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, and the ability to make an impact, just as Nelson Mandela did himself.”
-SAPA

South Africa has been awarded the right to host the 2016 FIFA Under 20 Women’s World Cup.

This follows a two-day meeting by the FIFA Executive Committee in Costa do Sauipe, Bahia near San Salvador in Brazil.

The announcement was made on Thursday, 05 December 2013.

Details of South Africa’s hosting of the U20 football showpiece will be revealed at a later stage.

“This is good news indeed for us as an Association and for the entire country. We are quite delighted with the news from FIFA. This clearly shows that the successful hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup has given South Africa strong credentials at FIFA and makes this country an almost automatic choice in the hosting of major events,” said SAFA President Dr Danny Jordaan from Brazil where he is attending the Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup draw which will take place on Friday, 6 December.

”The hosting of the FIFA U20 World Cup is a tremendous boost for women’s football in South Africa and shows the high regard that FIFA holds our country.”

The FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup is a precursor to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Canada is hosting both the FIFA 2014 Women’s World Cup and the FIFA 2015 U20 Women’s World Cup.

”Hosting the 2016 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup event has now put South Africa in an advantageous position to host the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. We are confident that when the bidding opens we will be in a stronger position,” added Dr Jordaan.

The news comes on the day that the South African U20 Women’s National Team departed for Tanzania for the second round first leg qualifier of the 2014 FIFA U20 World Cup.

”Our U20 Women’s National Team is currently in Tanzania and with only two teams going to the World Cup we are confident that they will do well to qualify for the 2014 event where they will have gained a lot of experience before hosting the world in 2016. This is part of our strategy to build women’s football. The U20 team will be Banyana Banyana in 2019 and this will have give them good grounding for the 2019 World Cup,” concluded Dr Jordaan.

Contrary to certain media reports, South Africa did not bid to host the 2017 Under FIFA World Cup.

Here are other hosting decisions taken by the FIFA Executive Committee.

•    FIFA U-17 Women‘s World Cup 2016:                                 Jordan 

•    FIFA U-20 Women‘s World Cup 2016:                South Africa 

•    FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017:                                     India 

•    FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017:                                     Korea Republic 

•    FIFA Congress 2016:                                                   Mexico City, Mexico 

•    FIFA Congress 2017:                                                   Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

The next meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee will be held at the Home of FIFA in Zurich in March 2014.

Johannesburg – Cape Town Archbishop Thabo Makgoba has released a prayer for former president Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa said.

“Go forth, revolutionary and loving soul, on your journey out of this world, in the name of God, who created you, suffered with you and liberated you.

“Go home Madiba, you have selflessly done all that is good, noble and honourable for God’s people.

“We will continue where you have left off, the Lord being our helper,” Makgoba’s prayer read.

President Jacob Zuma announced his death on the public broadcaster just before midnight.

“He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20:50 on 5 December. He is now resting, he is now at peace. Our nation has lost its greatest son.”

“Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together and it is together that we bid him farewell.”

SAPA