Super Eagles denied at the death but Bafana pay the penalty AGAIN

ON THE SPOT: Andile Jali had his penalty saved in a 1-1 draw against Nigeria

IT IS A little-known fact that penalties are often incredibly important at the top level of football. That clear chance from 12 yards, increasingly blamed on referees rather than loose hands or bad challenges, HAS TO BE CONVERTED.


When you miss on in an international competition. it tends to create concern. Nationwide anxiety. But not, apparently, if you're Shakes Mashaba.


Left to do his own eccentric thing without the Technical Director we were promised by SAFA president Danny Jordaan last year, Mashaba saw Tokelo Rantie miss a vital spot kick in the opening AFCON 2015 game against Algeria. The lad was vilified on the social networds for an effort which cannoned off the top of the bar.



Then, in the two friendlies designed to restore Bafana's shattered dignity after gaining one point in Equatorial Guinea, the situation arose again when Thulani Serero went down in the box. This time Andile Jali was the one who grabbed the ball. And his penalty was comfortably saved by stand-in goalkeeper Dan Akpeyi.


Mashaba said after the game:  "It’s a good thing. Second time it happens. Gives us now cause for concern.”


Bloody hell. NOW you're concerned? When South Africa came within three seconds of defeat against a desperately poor Nigeria?

But look, after any disaster, we cling to the tiny green shoots of recovery to comfort us. Let’s take that attitude while we assess Bafana Bafana’s two international friendlies.

A 3-1 win in Swaziland – ranked 164 in the world – and a last gasp 1-1 draw against a weakened Nigeria should not be sneered at after an AFCON in Equatorial Guinea which saw Shakes Mashaba come back WINLESS with plenty of unnecessary laundry in his six-week suitcase.

The positives are pretty obvious. Itumeleng Khune appears to be back in favour, having started both games, while Thulani Serero played both games and his European pals Ayanda Patosi and Kamohelo Mokotjo both made the trip. Blimey, even the banned May Mahlangu came to have his ankle injury certified, things are definitely looking up!

The penalty against a very beatable Nigeria will be the talking point for a days to come. Having seen Rantie grab the ball against Algeria in the opening AFCON game before ramming it against the top of the bar, we were probably hoping the penalty-taking situation had been sorted out.

But when Jali – whose one-two with Thulani Serero led to the spot kick – grabbed the ball, he lost confidence… offered it to Oupa Manyisa... then walked back to take the penalty. The whole thing smacked of amateurism. It wasn’t a difficult save and the defender actually went closer, ramming the clearance against the upright.

And then, with five minutes left, Moscovite Ahmed Musa produced the magic to score out of the blue. With no apparent danger, he cut in from the left and curled a lovely right foot effort around Khune – the 50^th international goal he’s conceded, but after 85 quiet minutes, he could do nothing with a strike of that class.

The disappointment among the 18,500 at Mbombela was palpable. The Super Eagles had swooped again. Even during qualifying for AFCON 2015, both games against Bafana were drawn. This was a win waiting to happen, a jinx waiting to be broken. A 1-0 defeat seemed a trifle harsh, the great leveller from Mamelodi Sundowns' Bongani Zungu in injury time seemed appropriate.

Mashaba said: “Congratulations to the boys. We were unfortunate not to score goals. I don’t want to talk about the penalty again.

"It’s a normal thing, it does happen. We were all over them until the penalty. Then they got the goal. We need players who can lead others."

For me, Mashaba's tactics remain questionable: his decision to drop Mokotjo for the second game was inexplicable and the goalkeeper swap at half-time against Swaziland was almost disastrous.

But my dominant memory of Bafana’s two friendlies will be the harsh words from Mashaba directed at Lehlohonolo Majoro, the Orlando Pirates striker who fell out with agent Tim Sukazi when he left Kaizer Chiefs, after his efforts in Swaziland.

Though we had no television coverage to help us make up our own minds, Mashaba destroyed Majoro as he did when he called Mokotjo “heavy and sluggish” last year. He said Majoro “looked ill, didn’t challenge for the aerial ball, left the other striker on his own” and that he took him off before half-time “because he clearly couldn’t last the game”.

Nasty. Harsh. Small minded. Little wonder Majoro made no impact when he came on as a late sub on Sunday.

But hey, let’s stick to the positives. Zungu deserved the late, late equaliser in Mbombela. Picked ahead of European professionals, he had a strong 90 minutes and was there at the death scoring on the rebound, when it mattered. We’ll leave it at that! 

Unbeaten coach of the year Shakes Mashaba continues to confound with Bafana Bafana Mark II

Unbeaten: Bafana boss Shakes Mashaba

ON the face of it, a man who took over in late July has to be pretty fortunate to win South Africa’s coach of the year award. But not this time.

Ephraim Shakes Mashaba is that man. On Sunday night in Sandton, he was rightly awarded the ultimate coaching accolade ahead of the minority sports and, with our Proteas and Springboks currently on the beaten track, the predictable bleating from those “jobs for life” journalists echoed across the social networks.

Danny Jordaan, the SAFA president who has ushered in an era where, for once, diski/soccer/football is emerging as the pride of the nation, rightly sums up: “This has been an incredible year, we hope awards for Shakes and Portia Modise will encourage the entire football family to do even better going forward.”

Sadly, the promised arrival of a Bafana technical director and the new Nike kit has not materialised. Match-fixing, shrouded attendance figures and Senzo Meyiwa’s unsolved killing still weight heavily on our game. And as David Isaacson points out, Mashaba won coach of the year for our AmaJita Under 20s qualifying success, his Bafana Bafana revival wasn't taken in to account.

But forget all that. On the field, Mashaba continues to confound.

Fielding an entirely new team for the Nelson Mandela Challenge at Mbombela on Sunday, his Bafana Bafana Mark II simply went out and played just like the first choice outfit did in AFCON qualifying.

That’s no small feat. South Africa saw off mighty Nigeria to win Group A during a turbulent six-match saga which saw Senzo Meyiwa murdered, an Ebola outbreak, May Mahlangu banned, suspended Equatorial Guinea handed the hosting rights and key players ruled out.

Qualification ahead of the African champion Super Eagles was a considerable upset. But what Shakes came up with on Sunday takes us one step further. The arch-motivator took a whole new squad and despite cancelled training sessions and late withdrawals, created a new “bunch of winners”, to paraphrase Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

Chippa United’s Thami Sangweni, brother of Orlando Pirates towering defender Siya, took the captain’s armband. Chippa United’s five-goal David Zulu, much talked about as a future Kaizer Chiefs striker, took his place up front next to Polokwane City’s Puleng Tlolane, the PSL’s top scorer with seven goals.

Between them, those twelve goals dwarf the tally of Mzanzi’s big guns. Kermit Erasmus and Lehlohonolo Majoro have six between them. Bernard Parker and Kingston Nkhatha at unbeaten league leaders Kaizer Chiefs have erm... even less.

But it was the much-talked-about  Bongani Zungu from Mamelodi Sundowns who really impressed, scoring the first goal after Vuyisile Wana’s first-minute effort had been ruled out for off-side and generally getting ball to the right areas. Zulu added the richly-deserved second after half-time and it was job done for Shakes, who has now played seven, won four and drawn three.

With Mashaba in charge, the selection process appears to be secondary. The man himself confesses he is no tactical genius, “I put out 11 players and tell them to play for the nation” and boy, do they play.

This friendly, against an admittedly under-strength Ivory Coast (the Toure brothers and their big European stars had other things on their mind over the weekend), proves the point with some gusto.

Pitso Mosimane and Gordon Igesund are top South African coaches with five PSL titles between them. Last season Mosimane took Sundowns to the championship and this season Igesund has revived SuperSport United and on Saturday, he led them to that Telkom KO triumph.

But in truth, they failed to motivate the disparate band of men chosen to represent their nation. Never really got them to play for the shirt, much like the foreign millionaires before them.

I’m not sure how Shakes does it. I’m told his team-talks are the stuff of legend, invoking all kinds of semi-mythical imagery to fire up his charges.

After his seventh game without defeat, Mashaba glowed: "We needed this win to keep up the winning momentum for the nation.

"This was almost a new team, a good chance to give our fringe players an opportunity to prove themselves. We will try to get some friendlies. Really, some of these boys deserve to get a chance in Equatorial Guinea."

I have no idea how Mashaba achieves these things. But with the cricketing Proteas and rugby Springboks both failing of late, suddenly Bafana Bafana have become the reliable source of national pride in Mzanzi.

Herve Renard, the Ivory Coast coach who conquered Africa with Zambia, sums it up best: “I think 0-2 was a very good for us, the South African team was everywhere.

"I think we had two chances and it's not enough to expect something in football. It's a good lesson for our young players, who know they have a big job to do.

“Congratulations South Africa. It was too fast for us today.”

CHARGES DROPPED? Sorry Bobby Motaung, you're not off the hook. The TRUTH about the Mbombela Stadium will be told.

Charge: Bobby and Mbombela Stadium

IT was a shocking phone-call. Thursday afternoon. All charges against Bobby Motaung have been dropped. Be careful what you write now.

What? After SIX attempts to get his corruption case dropped, the son of Kaizer and general manager of South Africa’s biggest football franchise, was going to get clean away with his part in the huge fraud surrounding the building of the Mbombela Stadium for the 2010 World Cup?

Remember this was a case which has cost lives. Former Mbombela speaker, Jimmy Mohlala, and Mpumalanga sport and culture spokesperson Sammy Mpatlanyane are both dead after questions were asked over the R1.2bn cost of the giraffe-strewn Mbombela World Cup venue.

Mohlala was shot dead in January 2009. Mpatlanyane was killed in January 2010. So far, Motaung and his co-accused, Herbert Theledi and Chris Gribb, have not been officially linked with those deaths. They were originally charged with a R143m fraud.

But I can reassure South Africans. The NPA is not done yet. And the Hawks still have their claws in to Bobby, the man who boasted that he needed no CV for his lucrative role in “the family business.”

Motaung was released on R15,000 bail, reduced from the original R200,000. When it was suggested Motaung should be suspended from his job as Kaizer Chiefs general manager – where he oversees transfers and, just this month, decided NOT to renew Jimmy Tau’s contract amid a storm of protest – Bobby insisted the case had nothing to do with the AmaKhosi.

Three months ago, I spoke to the investigating officer who arrested “Bobsteak” twice. There was a particular storm when he collared Motaung for a second time IN COURT on March 1.

My source assured me then: “We have a watertight case against Mr Motaung. I would not have arrested him in those circumstances unless I had all the evidence I need.”

And last night, I tracked down the same gentleman again, though his telephone number has been changed. After an initial hesitation, he recognised my voice and told me: “Yes, I stand by what I said then. I am confident in the case I have against Mr Motaung and his two co-accused.”

Tomorrow I will try to persuade my source to go public and talk on “Bollockz” my show on Thursday morning on www.ballz.co.uk. We go live on the internet between 10am and noon.

My source will speak to the NPA in the meantime. Incredibly he was not consulted last week. Those charges of fraud, corruption and forgery may have been dropped by Magistrate Roelf Smith, but no certificate of “Nolle prosequi” (indicating, finally, the case will not be pursued) has been issued.

Motaung was first arrested in August 2012 and then again earlier this year in a case described as “high-profile” by the Neslpruit Regional Court. Much like the Oscar Pistorius case, delays and prevarication from Motaung’s lawyer Zola Majavu and confusion in the NPA have seen the case drag on. And on.

Magistrate Smith used two letters from the NPA, showing a conflict over where the case would be heard, to justify the dropping of charges. Majavu claimed: “The NPA is at war with itself,” and the case was duly removed from the roll.

But that does not mean an end to the matter. And remember, there is a second, bigger charge pending after that second arrest – a R920m case involving Motaung, Gribb, his former lawyer Michael Romanos, Mbombela’s former municipal manager Jacob Dladla, and former Ehlanzeni district municipality technical services manager, Tebogo Kubeka.

That charge suggests Bobby was part of the “gang” who corruptly collaborated to appoint construction giant Basil Reed to build the stadium.

My source says: “I will talk to the NPA. This case is not over. Not by a long way. This is just the first part of a bigger fish we want to fry. The public must know about the Mbombela Stadium.”

Gordon Igesund: I want Bafana Bafana to be a machine

At the double: Bernard Parker scored twice at Mbombela

“By the the time the African Cup of Nations starts in January, I want us to be a machine.”

With that exquisite phrase, Gordon Igesund ended the first chapter of football’s Mission Impossible last night. And the verdict on Bafana Bafana’s new era? Even the dimmest doubters must admit South Africa’s much-maligned football team have taken the first tiny steps on a rocky road to recovery.

When he took the job three months ago, Igesund was told he had several improbable tasks to complete: a place in the semi-finals of next year’s AFCON 2013 on home soil, qualification for Brazil 2014 and a return to the top three in African football.

After Pitso Mosimane’s chaotic reign, such targets looked unlikely. Some said impossible. Igesund took one look at the mission statement and said: “I’ll do it.”

And what was he handed as his opening gambit? An away game against five-time World Cup winners Brazil followed by a home game against Mozambique four days later. I remember our first chat after his appointment, Gordon asking me to spell “Maracana” at a The New Age Business Briefing. He hadn’t even been told where his opening game would be played, but he knew he had the toughest of starts, a footballing baptism of fire.

Unfazed, Igesund went to work… and the results of his never-say-never optimism are now available. A gutsy 1-0 defeat against the Brazilians was followed by a clinical 2-0 triumph over neighbours Mozambique.

On paper, that may look average. In truth, Igesund has already accomplished miracles. Remember, they took on an under-pressure Brazil on their biggest national holiday with coach Mano Menezes desperate for a rousing victory.

With Siya Sangweni keeping Neymar quiet and Itumeleng Khune pulling off five good saves, it was left to substitute Hulk to produce the only goal late in the game - but it was Bafana Bafana who took the applause from the 52,000 unhappy Brazilians as the sides went off.

Three days later, Neymar scored a hat-trick as the same Brazilians crushed China 8-0. Yup, eight. If that wasn’t enough to keep the doubters quiet, the people insisting “you can’t celebrate defeat”, then what is? It’s not as if the Chinese haven’t got plenty of people to choose from or enough experience when it comes to building bloody big defensive walls.

Scroll forward to Tuesday night at Mbombela. South Africa, having travelled 7,441km from Sao Paulo, came up against a Mozambique fresh from a 2-0 AFCON win over Morocco a mere 205kms away in Maputo.

Igesund knew he was in for a tough night. But instead of tip-toeing about, he dropped Friday’s man of the match Itumeleng Khune and risked a huge Kaizer Chiefs v Orlando Pirates civil war by putting Moeneeb Josephs in goal. The same larger-than-life Bucaneer who had retired in disgust when Pitso was in charge of Bafana.

And despite having lost Tokelo Rantie, Siyabonga Nomvethe, Steven Pienaar, Edward Manqele, Dino Ndlovu and Benni McCarthy to injury, Igesund stuck with the depleted squad who had endured the flight from Brazil. He declined the offer of reinforcements to keep the mood in the camp buoyant.

And it worked. Though many will question Mozambique’s decision to make eight changes from the side that beat Morocco – including Mamelodi Sundowns’ talismanic Elias Pelembe who scored one and made one in Maputo on Sunday – Bafana barely put a foot wrong.

Bernard Parker, the Kaizer Chiefs striker who opened the season with a four-goal burst against Amazulu, scored one early and one late to ensure a clinical 2-0 victory over the nation’s eastern neighbours.

Suddenly the doubters were silenced. Those who questioned everything Gordon had done – from getting rid of Thomas Madigage’s hat to leaving Teko Modise at home – were left without a leg to stand on.

His decision to select the unknown Dean Furman – an unused sub for Joel Santana’s Bafana against Australia in 2008 – from English Championship club Oldham Athletic proved inspired. Reformed alcoholic Lerato Chabangu, rubbished as a “coach’s favourite” from his days at Moroka Swallows, was magnificent in Sao Paulo and Mbombela.

The surprise decision to make Spurs reject Bongani Khumalo his captain worked like a charm and Ajax Amsterdam’s Thulani Serero once more showed the nation he could become the fulcrum over the coming months.

But Igesund refused to crow about successfully completing the first leg of his Mission Impossible. He said simply: “I didn’t want to mention this before the game, but we had to travel through four time zones for this game. The lads didn’t know whether it was day or night. Our sleeping patterns are all over the place.

“Look, it wasn’t a great performance tonight. We lost possession too often, we wanted more goals, but I have to say I’m satisfied. The bodies were tired, the legs were wobbling. I did a bit of rotation and you can’t fault the attitude. These boys showed true commitment.

“In the end, we did the job. The lads did great after just four days of training together. The camaraderie was good. You saw our set-plays out there. They were non-existent because we haven’t had a chance to practice them!

“But this is just the start. We’ve got Poland next in a friendly. Then I think we’ll play in the Middle East. By the time we get to AFCON in January, I want us to be a machine.

“We still have a long way to go. A hell of a lot of work to be done. But we will only get better.”

An Urgent Warning for Bafana: Mozambique's Mambas are highly dangerous

Danger: Elias Pelembe

Message: Urgent. Delivery data: Mbombela Stadium before 8.45pm tonight. Eyes only: Gordon Igesund. Header: BAFANA WARNING.

Message reads: Gordon, beware. Stop. Mozambique won’t be easy. Stop. Pulled off one of THE shocks in AFCON 2013 qualifying over weekend 2-0 against Morocco. Stop. And while you’re jetting in from Sao Paulo, they only have to drive a couple of hours along the N4 from Maputo to Nelspruit. Stop. Keep an eye on Elias Pelembe. Stop him. Ends.

Yup, I’m hoping that top secret alert will get through to Flash Gordon and his boys before tonight’s big kick-off on SABC1, where viewing records fell as Bafana Bafana put up a brave fight against five-times world champions Brazil on Friday night.

What a performance. Professor Jonathan Jansen, the increasingly puzzling peacemaker from the University of the OFS, put out a tweet complaining about South Africans “celebrating defeat” and I told him in no uncertain terms: “Then you know nothing about football.”

Friday night at the Morumbi Stadium on Brazil’s National Day was no ordinary 1-0 defeat. Only a late goal from R6bn man Hulk -  yes, Givanildo Vieira de Souza cost more than the entire Bafana squad when he moved from Porto to Zenit St Petersburg last month – robbed Bafana of the draw they so richly deserved.

The locals, thoroughly fed up by Brazilian boss Mano Menezes, gave South Africa a far louder ovation than their own “Selecao”,  with Itumeleng Khune starring in goal behind Siya Sangweni, who emerged after the match with the fabulous Neymar still in his pocket.

There was a period, for 15 minutes after half-time, when Bafana were clearly the better side. Before Igesund’s decision to remove the silky Lerato Chabangu instead of the sulking Siphiwe Tshabalala, South Africa were putting passes together and making Brazil look decidedly ordinary in front of a whistling 52,000 crowd.

Even when they lost a further TWO strikers – Dino Ndlovu (dislocated shoulder) and Benni McCarthy (hamstring) – Bafana remained unruffled, with Thulani Serero probing, Bernard Parker engaging and surprise captain Bongani Khumalo completing a dynamic defensive duo with Sangweni.

Defeat or not, this was not a bad night for South Africa football. Igesund pronounced himself “satisfied”, as did a glowing Khune.

Khumalo, while “thanking God” for the armband, raved: “We were working for each other. There was good character and spirit. We must continue with this, go forward, not look back.”

Then there was this extraordinary tribute to Igesund from the experienced McCarthy. Despite an injury after 10 minutes which will keep the former Porto, Blackburn and West Ham striker out for six weeks, South Africa’s only Champions League winner oozed: “Wow, Gordon is different class. He has that Jose Mourinho feel (irie) to him. He brings the best out of the players.

“He makes every player believe in themselves. He jokes with the players and he makes them laugh and smile. He makes us feel invincible.

“I think we did very well against Brazil. Every person has their own opinion but as a team we are proud of our coach and our game.”

Tributes don’t glow much more than that. But amid the general euphoria over the world’s 74th ranked side coming so close against Brazil, ranked an all-time low of 12^th, Sunday night brought a swift reality check.

That came with the news that Morocco – 68th in the world – had been soundly beaten 2-0 by our neighbours – and tonight’s friendly opposition – Mozambique, currently ranked 109^th.

Elias Pelembe – the Mamelodi Sundowns star who is one of South Africa’s best-paid players – scored the second and made the first for Almiro Lobo at the Machave Stadium in Maputo, quieting a restless home crowd who had booed Jerry Sitoe for an early miss in a goalless first half.

Before his meeting of minds with Igesund, the Mamba’s German coach Gert Engels admitted: "We were very patient and everybody knows that the second leg in Morocco will be hard work if we are to reach the AFCON finals. My players are in good shape for South Africa.”

Tonight, with the Mozambiquans travelling a mere 205kms along the N4 from Maputo to Mbombela, Igesund’s injury-stricken Bafana will still be recovering from their 7441km trek to Sao Paulo and back – a return trip of over 15000km.

Igesund insists he does not need reinforcements before tonight’s game. He will continue with Bernard Parker, his one fit striker, up front (unless you count Golden Arrows front man Thamsanqa Gabusa, who hasn't played a match all season) and keep faith in the Boys from Brazil.

He may be right. But can he possibly instil the same level of commitment against modest Mozambique as he did against mighty Brazil?

Igesund said yesterday: "We played very well against Brazil and the boys were all fired up and they need to be equally pumped up when we face Mozambique. We need to have the same passion, drive, commitment and attitude in all our games. We are facing another formidable side."

Exactly. That opening defeat against the Samba Boys was no disaster for Bafana fans accustomed to disappointment under Pitso Mosimane. But a mauling against Mozambique - and a rare home defeat - may just end Igesund’s short honeymoon. Let’s hope he really can render his jet-lagged squad “invincible” tonight.

This article first appeared in The New Age newspaper today as my Neal and Pray column. See www.thenewage.co.za. 

Hawks swoop on Bobby Motaung: the son of Kaizer must fight for his rights

Under pressure: Bobby Motaung

BOBBY MOTAUNG was arrested by the Hawks today. Kaizer Chiefs haven’t had much to say about it, the police refuse to confirm it… but the word is he’s going to be charged with corruption, fraud and possibly more.

For those who live in peculiar Pofadder and no nothing about the world out there, Bobby is a major player in South African football. He is the son of Kaizer Motaung, who founded South Africa’s most popular club in 1972 after a glittering career in the NPSL.

While Kaizer happily played with and against the greats of the world game – Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best – and earned a reputation as a great South African long before Apartheid was assigned to the dustbin, his son Bobby was gifted the job of a lifetime by his father.

Last season, when he was under-fire for the way he does the general manager’s job at Naturena, Bobby famously told us: “I didn’t need a CV for this career. Kaizer Chiefs is a family business. Nothing you can say will worry me. I wasn’t appointed by the ANC.”

I said at the time that attitude stinks – and his father backed me up, apologising for his son’s behaviour. I suggested Bobby’s youngest brother Kaizer Junior would be a better figurehead, or his sister Jessica, currently the club’s marketing manager.

But Bobby carried on serenely, signing players, doing deals, insisting Tower Mathoho should go from Bloemfontein Celtic to the Amakhosi, even though they were offering half of what Mamelodi Sundowns were prepared to pay.

There was that difficult time pre-season, when the Motaungs were in mourning for a family member and Bobby left Jessica to present his new signings. In a hurried affair timed to coincide with the arrival of new coach Stuart Baxter, they presented seven new players including Kingston Nkatha, who was still under contract at Leopards and, famously, the No3 shirt which they hoped Tower would one day wear. It was a farce.

And in their opening competitive game of the season, both Bobby and Baxter – who lied on his CV and was clearly the cheap, malleable choice – were holding their heads in their hands as Chiefs went 4-0 down against Sundowns in just 37 minutes on the way to a drubbing.

Of course, they went on to record a rousing 6-0 win over AmaZulu in their opening PSL clash last Saturday but it’s possible to see that result as a simple papering over of the cracks at the AmaKhosi.

The Hawks are refusing tonight to confirm the identities of the “two prominent people” arrested on theft and forgery charges “related to the construction of the R1 billion Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit in Mpumalanga.

Ironically, I’m about half-an-hour from the giraffe-adorned stadium at Mjejane River Lodge enjoying the wild life. I didn’t expect the big game to be hunted down quite so close to here. Understandably, Hawks Spokesperson McIntosh Polela “can neither confirm nor deny” that Bobby Motaung was picked up this morning.

But I can confirm Bobby is due to appear in court, one of THREE men who, according to Polela, are due to appear in court tomorrow.

Polela told the SABC: "It's regarding the alleged fraud forging of a South African Revenue Services (SARS) document to apply for a tender contract to work in relation to the Mbombela stadium. What happened is that the Hawks as well as SARS have arrested a person in Naturena as well as Cape Town and we are currently looking for a third person."

The fabulous Mbombela Stadium, built in the footballing wilderness just south of the Kruger Park on the road to Mocambinque, might have been better of had it been designed with white elephants rather than giraffes as a support structure.

And few need reminding that the Mbombela Local Municipality's speaker, Jimmy Mohlala, was gunned down at his home in Kanyamazane in 2009, after threatening to blow the whistle on the alleged corruption related to the tender and construction of the stadium.

I know nothing of such goings-on. Only that Bobby was warned he wasn’t above the rules of ordinary men. He may be the son of Kaizer, but from where I stand, he was never fit to lace the great man’s boots.