THE HUNT IS ON: MTN8 final triumph is just the start of Bidvest's master plan for Wits

JUST BEGINNING: Hunt and Joffe

“Philosophically if you don’t have getting bigger in your DNA, then you need to quit. If you stop growing you’re actually going backwards” BRIAN JOFFE, CEO, BIDVEST

FOUR years ago, the directors at BidVest made a ground-breaking decision to lift their football club Wits University out of the doldrums. The board, which included Brian Joffe and Cyril Ramaphosa. two of South Africa’s most powerful men, had had enough of mid-table mediocrity. 

On Saturday night we saw that project begin to blossom, with BidVest Wits crushing African Champions League finalists Mamelodi Sundowns 3-0 in the MTN final at Mbombela. Did I say crushing? Masandawana hardly had a sniff of th R8m winners’ cheque.

The background? For years, millionaire Joffe had put up with the banter from Irvin Khoza and Kaizer Motaung at football gatherings. Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs had shared the PSL title between them from 2011 to 2013, Bidvest’s Clever Boys weren’t even in the picture.

No-nonsense Joffe isn’t used to being second-best. The son of a South African dad and a Lithuanian mum, he bought a pet-food business for R49,000 in 1978. With his wife driving the forklift and moving the pallets of dog-food cans, the company grew… and he sold if for R1m two years later.

And so the Magician of Melrose Arch began his rise… and rise. With his company last year breaking through R200 BILLION in sales, he can afford to indulge his footballing fantasy. I have no idea how much has been spent, but it’s not peanuts.

There will be talk of white privilege, obviously. Ironic really when his football club translates, literally, as Whites University. But this is football. It’s about the race, not race.

The background? Today’s Clever Boys emerged from a student club established by the SRC long before the days of #feesmustfall in 1921.

Half a century later, Wits University took their place in the top flight of South African football in 1975, where Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey and Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Richard Gough were among the big names.

During those formative years, trophies did come the way of the students: the Nedbank Cup in 1978 and 2010 (Wits’ last trophy); the Telkom KO in 1985 and 1995 and the MTN8 in 1984 and 1995.

But in truth, Wits were never big-hitters. They have NEVER won the PSL, their best finish coming in 2003 when they came third under Roger de Sa.

So four years ago, with ANC big-hitter Ramaphosa as his chairman, Joffe launched the big push for his football team, now officially known as Bidvest Wits with little or no connection to the university, apart from their tiny three-sided home ground at Milpark (now the Bidvest Stadium).

Vitally, Joffe and pals grabbed CEO Jose Ferreira from SuperSport United, who had won the PSL title three years in succession under a certain Gavin Hunt. Spaniard Jose Antonio Habas took the club in to contention after the bizarre departure of De Sa, who ended up at Orlando Pirates.

But patience is not a Joffe virtue. Habas was cruelly sent home to run the youth teams at Atletico Madrid and Clive Barker, older than Brian, took over for six months, ending a creditable fourth, Wits’ best finish since 2004. But The Dog was never a long-term option.

And then, on the 28th of May, 2013, Ferreira managed to extract Hunt from his old club SuperSport FC. Serious rebuilding began, huge sums were spent, often on veterans like Zimbabwe’s Benjamin and Namibia Henrico Botes.

Last season, Hunt’s Wits finished second behind Mamelodi Sundowns, where Patrice Motsepe is perhaps the only man spending more than Joffe on football. Pitso Mosimane’s men won with a record 71 points with Hunt 14 points behind.

But on Saturday night, at a soggy Mbombela, Mosimane’s Masandawana were finally cut down to size. With KaboYellow headed in to the African Champions League final against Egypt’s Zamalek, perhaps the mighty Downs were distracted. Pitso claimed the pitch suited Wits. And it did rain a bit.

But from where I sit, Wits have come of age. After three years of investment - not always as cunning as Joffe’s Bidvest itself - Gavin Hunt has built himself a side capable of winning the PSL at last. Third in his first season, 2nd last season, there is a logical progression.

Daine Klate, 31, added the MTN8 title to the
FIVE PSL championships and SEVEN cups he
has already won in 12 seasons of PSL action

Saturday’s night’s lucrative 3-0 win, spearheaded by two goals from 31-year-old Daine Klate, formerly of SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates, was a masterpiece in the art of catching the opposition by surprise.

Pitso droned on about “Wits deserved it” and how many times he had won the MTN8 but in truth Hunt - often linked with the Bafana Bafana job - had done more than just win a final.

“I’ve been here a few years now, I’ll do it my way, your way, the Frank Sinatra way. But we’re getting there. This is just the beginning.”

Hunt is not a big man, but he is a force to be reckoned with, face to face or bench to bench. Just the beginning? No argument here.

Great Daine: South Africa's most decorated footballer promises: No goalless draw in the Soweto Durbsy!

High flier: Daine Klaite, 13 winners' medals

DAINE KLATE has a bit of an appetite for silverware. He's the little wide man who won THREE SUCCESSIVE league titles with SuperSports United before decamping to Orlando Pirates and winning TWO TREBLES.

Add to that last season's Nedbank Cup and you get the drift. By my calculations he has 13 major winners' medals, more than any other player currently playing at the top level in South Africa. When he talks (or tweets) it's best to listen (or read).

The 29-year-old, discovered as a 15-year-old playing for Glenville Celtic in Port Elizabeth (he came through the Transnet Academy with a bloke called Steven Pienaar),  was tweeting boldly during the week about the joy of teams who play to win rather than trying to avoid defeat in the European Champions League.

Though some had a go (as they do on twitter) Klaite had hit the nail on the head. South African football is plagued by cautious coaches who live in fear of the sack. Buses are parked, defensive midfielders abound, goals are rare, though there ARE signs of a revival this season.

But when Pirates play unbeaten PSL leaders Kaizer Chiefs in the R8m MTN8 Final at the Moses Mabhida on Saturday night (kick-off 8.15pm) Klate is determined to put his twinkle where his tweet is.

The "Soweto Durbsy" in recent years has failed to inspire despite drawing full houses around South Africa and Klate insists: “We would hate it to be a dull game you know, with the score 0-0 and there's only one shot at goal, but we can't shy away from going out to attack the opposition.

“We always try to go forward, we always try to score - and hopefully Chiefs will do the same.”

Which is great from a man known for his quick feet and uncanny ability to seek out the reasonably deadly Buccaneering strike duo of Kermit Erasmus and Lehlohonolo Majoro in the embryonic weeks of the new season.

After a slow start, Pirates are up to third in the PSL with many calling for Kermit and Major to play together rather than in shifts as the vamped Vladimir Vermecovic seeks to build on last season's Nedbank Cup success, which came after final defeats under Roger de Sa in the MTN8, TelkomKO and African Champions League.

As they head for an unprecedented FIFTH successful cup final, Klaite insists: “For me personally I’d love to have a game similar to when we played against Sundowns, where we had two teams really going at each other.

“A match like the one against Masandawana was great for me, and not only because we won, but because of the football we played. That’s the type of game that we would like to give the supporters every time, but obviously it doesn’t always happen like that,.

“In the back of my mind that would be an ideal final, but we have to entertain within discipline and within structure.


"When we wake up on Saturday morning in Durban, everybody will be ready for the final. You can't predict things but the only promise we can give to fans is that we will give 100 percent and more if need be."

Saturday's top-eight conclusion will be Pirates's fifth cup final in a row. The Buccaneers lifted the Nedbank Cup trophy in May after finishing runners-up in the 2013/14 MTN8, Telkom Knockout and Caf Champions League.

“In cup competitions we have a winning mentality, we have momentum. When VV arrived here last season, he came at a very difficult stage, psychologically.

“To reach a final is a big step. He came in and told us that we were doing well when the players were all looking forward to the off season. He said we were good at reaching cup finals, he was good at winning them. And we did.”

SOCCERBALLZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za with Mark Fish airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' Youtube channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.



Rowen Fernandez, the Bidvest Wits goalkeeper, scored the own goal winner AND was voted Man of the Match against Orlando Pirates on Saturday. Thought you might like to see THIS effort in the Bundesliga from Rowen:

A crime of passion: why Pitso's tears are not a sign of weakness but determination

The pain of defeat: Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane

In football, what goes around comes around. Just ask Pitso Mosimane, still top of the PSL today but harshly ejected from the Nedbank Cup on Saturday.

Tomorrow night, Mosimane but shake off the tearful cup hangover and resume league action against Clive Barker's in-form Mpumalanga Black Aces while champions Kaizer Chiefs go to lowly Polokwane City.

But what exactly HAPPENED to Mosimane’s Masandawana at the weekend? They were giving Orlando Pirates hell at Loftus Versfeld, seeking a winner after coming back from an early penalty to level the quarter-final at 1-1.

And then along comes Daine Klate to curl in a free kick which miraculously bounced through defenders and offenders alike to sneak in to the corner of the Sundowns net past the otherwise faultless Zambian goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene.

Yes, like a football in motion, like the spherical world we live in, the universal game had turned full circle. A week before, when Teko Modise’s curling, bouncing chip in to the box confounded Kaizer Chiefs and Itumeleng Khune, we were left to celebrate a glorious stroke of luck rather than a sensational winner.

It’s what happened after Klate’s goal that fascinates me.

The way I see it, Pitso came out and took it on the chin. Desperately seeking to become the first black South African to lift the PSL title out of Kaizer Chiefs’ jaws; what Mr Mosimane SHOULD have said was: “Well done Orlando Pirates, good luck in the semi-finals, we will concentrate on the league.”

What he actually said was: “Good game. I’m just disappointed because of the result, but not the game. The only substitutions I had to make were forced substitutions. The boys played well but this is football hey, you can't have it all hey?

“I'm not surprised their goalkeeper Senzo (Meyiwa) was the Man of the Match. That tells you the story of what happened here."

"I mean there is a player at Pirates, he is on the floor every minute, what is this? The next thing he shoots the ball and then it's a goal. Nah … let's have professionalism. We lost not because of that, but integrity is important, you know.

At this point Marawa prompted “Do you mean Daine Klate” but Pitso refused to name names. He added: "The foul for the free-kick, the man got injured and they called for a stretcher. The man is injured. He is the same man who is not injured who kicks the ball. I mean how many times is the player on the floor? Just watch him, just see. He gets so injured, it's unbelievable, but within a second, he plays.

"You know, other guys are playing very well, no doubt about it, a hard game, and they take it. Ha, but that player, he is too much on the floor. He must play football.

"But there is a player who is always on the floor, you touch him a little bit, he rolls like he's been shot, from the top. The next minute, he continues to play. No ... this is a man's game, let's all play. Look at Manyisa, look at Ntshumayelo, these boys are strong, they play, they are not on the floor every minute, every second .. what is this?"

Klate, never named by Mosimane, responded: “There’s no hard feelings. I’m not taking it personally. I know Pitso very well, I have a lot of respect for him, he was emotional. I focus on football, not what is said off it.”

  

Tears or fears: Mosimane

The social networks after the game were laughing over a picture which appeared to show Pitso with tears in his eyes. I came out stoutly in his defence, pointing out: “At least Pitso cares, at least he has passion.”

And there were the Orlando Pirates fans, after a hugely fortunate win, crowing over Mosimane’s discomfort. But here’s the question: Who would YOU rather have in charge: A failed Vladimir Vermezovic returning to South Africa and scrabbling for a work permit after failing with Kaizer Chiefs (where he left several people in tears), or a passionate Pitso Mosimane, achieving what even Dutch legend Johan Neeskens couldn’t manage at Chloorkop?

I know what my answer would be. I like Pitso. I admire his passion, the way he says it as he is. And if you need further evidence, just have a look at the PSL. Who’s top? Who’s SEVENTH? There’s the truth, right there.

The title remains in the balance. Tomorrow anything less than a win over Aces - with Chiefs by no means assured of picking up three points at Polokwane - will cut deep for Pitso again. Can he handle the pressure? With Steven Gerrard, Oscar Pistorius and Bubba Watson all reduced to tears over the past four days of sport, I believe he can.

BOLLOCKZ! my innovative football show on www.ballz.co.za airs every Thursday from 9am-11am. See Ballz' channel for our growing library of fascinating football interviews with the big names. 

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news and read my “Neal and Pray” column every Tuesday in www.thenewage.co.za.

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Pirates 7, Egyptian giants 1: how Pirates - not Bafana or the Boks - led the celebrations for Madiba

Opening goal: Lennox Bacela

NELSON MANDELA’S 95th birthday celebrations were not led by Gordon Igesund or Heineke Meyer, despite rousing wins for Bafana Bafana and the Springboks at Soccer City on Saturday.

The highlight of Madiba’s “Sport and Culture” day came eight kilometres away while the musicians were still playing at the World Cup final venue.

The big celebrations were going on in Orlando, deep in the heart of Soweto, where Roger de Sa’s swashbuckling Pirates blew away African giants Zamalek SC 4-1 in perhaps their best display yet in the Champions League.

With Al Ahly – thumped 3-0 by the Buccaneers at Al Gouna a fortnight ago – edging the Congo’s AC Leopards 1-0 earlier in the day, Irvin Khoza’s club now lead Group A by three points at the halfway stage in qualifying.

By my reckoning, depending how the second half pans out, Pirates now need just THREE points from their last three games to make it. One win. Three draws. Boom. Even two might do.

For a side laid low last season as De Sa failed to retain the PSL for a third consecutive season after taking over from Augusto Palacios with the side in 10^th place, the African miracle, the quest for the second star, is rapidly becoming a real possibility.

Not since 1995 has a South African side looked this good on the continent. A combined score of 7-1 against the two Egyptian giants with 11 stars between them since 1982 is beyond the dreams of any South Africa football fan.

While Gordon’s Bafana saw off a tepid Burkina Faso 2-0 and Heineke’s Boks crushed Argentina 73-11, Roger’s Pirates were in all sorts of trouble when Zamalek instantly wiped out Lennox Bacela’s brilliant turn-and-fire opener.

But three well-worked second-half goals from the revolutionary Sifiso Myeni, the returning Tlou Segolela and  the reviving Dain Klate left Zamalek in tatters by the final whistle.

Roger, all smiles and clenched fists, emerged to say: “We could have done without conceding that equalising goal but what can I say? How can I ask for more than that from these players?

“We’re enjoying this purple patch in Africa. I know they’ll be ready for us when we return to Egypt but we travel well now. The boys are united, we are a team, we fight and fight.”

While Bafana can claim to have redeemed themselves (a little) after the abject 2-0 defeat against Nigeria last Wednesday in Durban with goals from Siphiwe Tshabalala and Lerato Chabangu (forget Nomandele’s last-gasp touch over the line), it was the Pirates who really lifted the nation on a rousing day for South African Sport.

Vieira: Lehlogonolo Masalesa

With Klate back to something like his best and Bacela proving an astute buy, it was Lehlogonolo Masalesa who really caught the eye.

The 21-year-old from Alexandria was thrown on when Andile Jali – struggling with an ankle before the game – was carried off on a stretcher with what look like a related groin injury early in the game.

But the man known as Vieira did more than hold his own between in the bristling band of midfield Pirates like Myeni, Oupa Manyisa and Klate.

He thrived, he grew, he ran and ran. On a night when heroes were made in Orlando, Masalesa was the flag-bearer, the bugle-blower. De Sa said: “He looked like he’d played in Africa all his life. What a performance.”

It’s wise at this point to remember just where the Egyptians are at the moment. Domestic football violence, the Arab Spring and, more recently, the Morsi coup has left their league suspended. Football doesn’t matter when a nation is burning.

Four-star Zamalek and seven-star defending African champions Al Ahly are currently struggling to keep match fit, their star players are eager to find a place in Europe.

And while Zamalek’s twitterers complained about the training ground next to Ellis Park on Friday, hundreds were dying in Cairo. Just turn on one of the 24 news channels. Now. It can’t be easy.

But Roger and his Pirates can’t be blamed for any of those factors. All they can do is beat what is put before them. And they have done that with some panache over the past fortnight.

The return trip to Zamalek is next, then Al Ahly come to Orlando hunting revenge before AC Leopards finish the group stages in the Congo Republic. I have no doubt a semi-final berth awaits, with similar obstacles to come before talk of a second star can commence around a glorious finale.

But for now, let’s celebrate. Bafana won. The Springboks cruised. Orlando Pirates were magnificent. All in honour of Madiba. That can’t be bad.

BOLLOCKZ! my show on www.ballz.co.za, airs every Thursday from 10am-noon.

You can also follow me on www.twitter.com/nealcol for all the latest sports news… and read my “Neal & Pray” column every Tuesday inwww.thenewage.co.za. 

BOLLOCKZ! is backed by www.topodds.com - have a look at their site for my latest sports betting advice!