The only way is up for the Madibaz as they look to turn things around in their critical Varsity Football clash with North-West University in Potchefstroom on Thursday night. The team from Port Elizabeth will have a tough task on their hands when they take to the pitch at the Fanie du Toit Sports Grounds for their fourth consecutive away game. Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison said NMMU's position at the bottom of the log left the team no choice but to go for a clear win to stay in the competition. "We have to give ourselves a chance against NWU-Pukke. They are a good team and it's going to be very difficult to beat them, especially in their own backyard," said Harrison. "But we are going there determined to come home with the three points." Pukke are fourth in the standings after three rounds and will be looking to remain in contention for a semifinal spot. "We know it's going to be a high tempo, fast-paced game, so we have been preparing for that," said Harrison. "Preparation has been going well and the players have been hard at work." Making his Varsity Football debut on Thursday will be young Chuma Mapuma, who gets his start ahead of regular Sachin Jackson. "He is a young prospect with huge potential and we hope he'll make an impact on the game," said Harrison. In the only other change, Diego van Rooyen replaces midfielder Litha Fingo, who will start on the bench. "Van Rooyen is an exciting player who also has a lot to offer to the team. I am expecting a good performance from him," said Harrison. The match kicks off at 6.30pm. NMMU Madibaz: 1 Matthew Booysen, 2 Onela Beqezi, 3 Lonwabo Balfour, 16 Lundi Balfour, 5 Athini Bisha, 4 Diego van Rooyen, 20 Zusakhe Sali, 8 Fuzo Zantsi, 9 Chuma Mapuma, 10 Cloudius Sagandira, 18 Simamkhele Thobi. Substitutes: 25 Xola Fipaza, 19 Onke Matomela, 6 Ekow Anfoh Assan, 17 Achuma Klaas, 7 Sachin Jackson, 15 Litha Fingo, 12 Lusapho Mlangane. Madibaz ready for Varsity Football …
Wheelchair Wednesday mobilises Bay residents
The lives of 120 mobility impaired residents were made somewhat easier when they received wheelchairs at the SPAR Wheelchair Wednesday handover ceremony at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday. Speaking at the event, NMB executive mayor Danny Jordaan said the most important aspect of the initiative was the restoration of people’s dignity. “It is the wheelchair, the person in the wheelchair and the family that helps restore the fullness of life,” he said. Every Wednesday throughout July, able-bodied representatives from businesses across Port Elizabeth and East London were challenged to spend four hours in a wheelchair. They were tasked with completing simple daily chores, such as using an automatic teller machine, buying groceries and visiting a coffee shop, to better understand the real-life challenges faced by people with disabilities. SPAR retailers also spent time in the chairs to create awareness and ascertain if there were areas within their stores that could be improved on or changed to make the shopping experience more conducive to those with physical challenges. Afterwards, the participants submitted reports to the Association for Persons with Physical Disabilities (APD) highlighting any accessibility issues encountered at the public buildings and businesses they visited. SPAR Eastern Cape promotions and advertising manager Wendy Westraadt said the retailer was proud to be involved as title sponsor of the community initiative, which is the brainchild of the local branch of the APD. “It is an absolute honour and privilege to be here today,” said Westraadt. “It is the third year that we have been involved and it is a partnership that we absolutely love.” She said the initiative had placed 368 people in wheelchairs since its inception four years ago. According to APD executive director Brian Bezuidenhout, this year’s campaign had raised over R475 000 in funding for the APD workshop, which provides sustainable employment for people with …
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Kempson committed to building EP rugby
EP Kings Rugby Academy manager Robbi Kempson has confirmed his belief in the future of rugby in the province in the wake of recent media reports regarding Saru's withdrawal of funding. Kempson said the academy, which is based at NMMU's human movement sciences department in Port Elizabeth, was not in danger of closing and had an important role to play as a talent pipeline for the provincial side. He said the academy's logistics had, until recently, been funded by the national lottery and channelled through Saru. "That funding has come to an end and Saru now has to take up the funding," said Kempson, who has added his name to the star-studded line-up of NMMU Springbok alumni who are participating in next month's Madibaz Bok Banter gala dinner. He said the Southern Kings' inclusion in Super Rugby for 2016 meant they would receive additional revenue for television rights, which in turn would assist in funding the academy through the franchise. "The academy and the university have a joint venture with regards to contracting of players into the junior structures." Most of the academy members were NMMU students, who turned out for the institution's Madibaz Young Guns and Varsity Cup teams, he said. "Going forward the academy and NMMU underage groups' structure will be a combined one, ensuring a sustainable base of NMMU and EP rugby players throughout the player conduits, be it Varsity Cup or provincial." The existing structures have already paid dividends with Kempson coaching the Madibaz Young Guns to a massively improved third place at this year's Varsity Cup. Most of those players also turn out for the EP U19 team, who have won all four of their matches thus far in the A-section of this year's Currie Cup. "They've beaten the Bulls and Western Province along the way and have really shown a determination to prove that their skill will match any size opposition teams," said Kempson. The former Springbok prop said it was very important to …
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Madibaz down but not out of Varsity Football
The Madibaz football team are fighting to keep their Varsity Football campaign alive after going down 0-2 to the University of Pretoria at the Tuks Sport Stadium in Pretoria on Monday night. After three rounds, the team from Port Elizabeth are languishing at the bottom of the log and have everything to play for with four more fixtures remaining before the play-offs. “We are down but not out of this competition,” said Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison. “Our log position is not favourable at the moment but we are not giving up hope. We are going to fight until the end.” Harrison said the final score did not accurately reflect how evenly matched the two sides had been. “I wouldn’t say that Tuks dominated us. We conceded a silly goal and they also got a penalty. “So once again a lapse of concentration led to them taking one over on us,” he said. Harrison said that although Tuks’ defence had been strong, NMMU’s defence had stood out and that they had performed “magnificently”. “They were on top of their game, so we are disappointed in how we conceded those goals.” Fortune also did not favour the Madibaz, as they were unlucky to be denied a penalty. “We need the ball to roll our way and get a bit of luck so we can finally get the ball into the net,” said Harrison. He said his players had been working hard on their attacking strategy and ball possession and would continue to focus on these things ahead of next week’s game. “We’re not going to stop what we’re doing and we are just hoping that, once we get that first goal, things will start turning around for us. We just need that one breakthrough.” Harrison said the team would make maximum use of their time to regroup before their first home game against log leaders North-West University on August 13. “I have to say that all the away games are taking their toll on the boys and our injuries haven’t helped much either. But we are not using that as an excuse,” said Harrison. “Right …
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Madibaz on the prowl for first Varsity Football win
The Madibaz football team will be on the prowl for their first Varsity Football win when they take on the defending champions in their third outing of the season on Monday night. The NMMU side will have all to play for against the University of Pretoria at the Tuks Stadium after going down 0-1 to Wits University in Johannesburg this week. “Preparation has been going well and the boys are working hard to come back with a positive result,” said Madibaz head coach Graeme Harrison. “Tuks is a strong side so we will have to be at our very best if we are going to beat them.” Harrison said the hosts would come at his team with all their firepower in what he expected to be a tough and physical encounter. “It’s not an impossible feat. After all our preparation this week I think we will be ready for anything they throw at us.” Harrison said it was imperative that the Madibaz came away with maximum points if they were to stand a chance of making it to the semi-finals. The Port Elizabeth team are currently sixth on the log with a single point from their opening round draw against Vaal University of Technology. The Madibaz will be without the services of injured star striker Kieran Koert. He will be replaced by Simamkele Thobi, while Fuzo Zantsi gets his start ahead of Achuma Klaas. “It is a great opportunity for Fuzo to show what he is capable of and I am expecting a good performance from him,” said Harrison. Madibaz: 1 Matthew Boosyen, 2 Onela Bequezi, 3 Lonwabo Balfour, 4 Lundi Balfour, 5 Athini Bisha, 6 Litha Fingo, 7 Zusakhe Sali, 8 Ekow Assan, 9 Sachin Jackson, 10 Cloudius Sagandira, 11 Ashton Reddy, 12 Xola Fipaza, 13 Onke Matomela, 14 Diego van Rooyen, 15 Achuma Klaas, 16 Fuzo Zantsi, 17 Simamkele Thobi, 18 Lusapho Mlangane Author: Coetzee Gouws from Full Stop Communications. More Info link: https://yoursport.co.za/madibaz-aim-for-first-win-in-varsity-football/ Images: For high res version/s of One image/s please contact Full Stop …
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NMMU’s Bok alumni rally behind local rugby
NMMU, which celebrates 10 years of existence this year, is setting a course to become one of the leading rugby-playing tertiary institutions in South Africa. By putting the right infrastructure in place, the plan is that the Madibaz will become one of the crucial feeder streams for the EP Kings in Nelson Mandela Bay. To this end, the university is kicking off its campaign by hosting a star-studded Bok Banter gala dinner at the Vodacom NMMU Indoor Sports Centre on September 3 in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup. The event will see the return of some high profile Springbok alumni to their alma mater, including Gavin Cowley, Hannes Marais, Hennie le Roux, Garth Wright and Paul Treu. The former greats will share their thoughts on the Boks' World Cup prospects and a three-course dinner with rugby-loving members of the public. The audience will also be able to bid on signed memorabilia. All funds raised on the evening will contribute towards the construction of a dedicated rugby clubhouse, which will showcase the institution's rugby legacy, build team spirit and inspire current and future players. The anticipated cost of the project is R3 million and Bok Banter will mark the start of the fundraising campaign, which will be spearheaded by former SA scrumhalf Wright. "The long-term aim is to rally enough people behind the Madibaz team for us to become a sustainable force in Varsity Cup and through these efforts contribute to the rugby programmes of the EP Kings," said Madibaz deputy director of sport Petrus Boukes. "NMMU is ideally placed to play a leading role in the development of young players once they have left school." Boukes said it was vital to mobilise alumni and former Madibaz players to rally together and leave a legacy. "The fact that busy people like Garth and other alumni have committed themselves to this cause is indicative of the appreciation they have towards the institution that helped give them a head start in their …
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Well-organised Madibaz impress in Varsity Football opener
The Madibaz football team kicked off their Varsity Football campaign with a well-executed goalless draw against Vaal University of Technology at the Isak Steyl Stadium in Vanderbijlpark on Monday night. “We played at a high intensity and we created opportunities. It was a strong opening for us,” said Madibaz football manager Mark Tommy. According to him, the Port Elizabeth side started the 10-week national tournament very well. He praised the Madibaz’s on-field organisation and said they had been more strategic and tactical in their approach. “We definitely played to our strengths as a unit, making some good team play,” said Tommy. “Our structure was more organised, we were more technical and we managed to wear them down as a team and take control.” He said it was this ability to play as a unit as well as their fitness levels that would stand the Madibaz in good stead for the tournament. “Our preparation has gone extremely well and we are hoping to make an impact over the coming weeks. “The objective now is to pull out all the stops during the pool matches and get through to the semi-finals.” In their opening match, Tommy said the visitors were able to dominate their opponents for the first 15 minutes, during which time a goal was disallowed for offside. However, VUT came back strongly to go on the offensive until half-time, whereafter a resurgent Madibaz again took charge. Tommy said that star striker Kieran Koert impressed until he was substituted for an injury to his shoulder. Although unable to find the back of the net, teammate Cloudius Sagandira was named Samsung Super Striker. “Their determination just shows that they are ready to fight for a top spot in this tournament,” said Tommy, who felt the competition would be very interesting this year. He said Tuks, who are on the hunt for a hat-trick, were possibly the side to watch. Tommy said tournament newcomers Walter Sisulu University had also done the Eastern Cape …
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Madibaz hockey score another silver at student champs
The Mecer Madibaz men's hockey team claimed silver for the second year running at the University Sport South Africa tournament hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg earlier this month. "The standard was very high at the tournament and there was no easy match in both pools," said Madibaz hockey manager Cheslyn Gie. "We did extremely well with a very inexperienced defence. We had four first years in our team including the goalkeeper." The Port Elizabeth team got their tournament off to a good start by beating Kovsies 4-1 in their opening fixture. On the second day, the team dropped their first game going down 1-2 to the University of Cape Town. "Our goalkeeper was injured and had to be substituted for two minutes and UCT scored the winning goal during this time," said Gie. They came back fighting on day three to claim an impressive 9-1 victory over Wits, their biggest winning margin since the merger in 2005. "This was a crucial match as a convincing win would put us in a good position to qualify for the semi-finals," said Gie. In the semis, national star Ignatius Malgraff scored a hat-trick for the Madibaz as they beat Maties 4-2 to qualify for the final against Tuks. Maties fielded eight national players and were the outright favourites. "We played very well and our brand of quick counter-attack hockey put our opposition under pressure and we created many scoring opportunities." In the final, the Madibaz were not able to sustain their momentum and went down 3-0. "We could not lift ourselves to the same level as we achieved against Maties," said Gie. He said that the standout players of the tournament were SA representatives Malgraff, Dalan Phillips and Chad Cairncross, with other strong performances by fourth years Joshua August and Jason Maclachlan and second years Devon Clarke and Wade Witbooi. The Mecer Madibaz women's team placed sixth - a commendable result considering that they fielded an inexperienced side featuring nine …
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Junior Chefs rise to occasion
A trio of 12-year-old culinary contestants showed they could take the heat in The Pastryworks kitchens as they faced off in an intense two-round cook-off for the SPAR Junior Chef competition in Port Elizabeth on Thursday (July 9). The three finalists - Lorraine Primary's Paige Black, Kirsty Kramer of Erica Girls' Primary and Greenwood Primary's Sihle Jacobs - rose to the occasion as they baked the recipes that saw them chosen from a host of impressive entries. Black made lemon meringue tartlets, served with rose-carved strawberries and a confection of caramelised sugar. Kramer wielded the chef's knife like a pro, ensuring that the nuts for her chocolate fudge cake were chopped to perfection. Not afraid to get her hands dirty, Jacobs delivered scrumptious Bar-One biscuits decorated with sliced strawberries and served with a drizzle of melted chocolate. Chef Kevin Gouws assisted his focused young charges where necessary, while their proud parents were only allowed to watch from the sidelines. SPAR Eastern Cape's Roseann Shadrach and Debadene Baatjies helped him to judge the beautifully presented results. In the decisive second round, the girls had to make a mystery dish, which turned out to be "build-a-pizza", with a twist of their own creative flair. Black chose a combination of onions, mushrooms, smoked chicken, cheese, avocado and rocket for her signature pizza. Jacobs's effort was a simple pairing of tomato, bacon and extra cheese with a dash of barbecue sauce. But it was Kramer's meat-lovers' pizza with a sweet chilli sauce and thyme base and two-cheese topping that saw her take the cake - and the overall win. She won a R5 000 shopping voucher for her efforts, with Black and Jacobs taking second and third, and a R1 000 and R500 voucher, respectively. Each of the contestants also went home with a hamper of SPAR goodies and a bag of SPAR Good Living cooking utensils. SPAR EC sponsorship controller Shadrach said the girls had …
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Sit down with Bok captains for Madibaz dinner
Two Springbok captains will lead a squad of national rugby heroes for an entertaining panel discussion at the Madibaz Bok Banter gala dinner in Port Elizabeth on September 3. Former SA skippers Hannes Marais and André Vos have confirmed their participation in the star-studded event, which takes place at the NMMU Indoor Sports Centre in the final countdown to the 2015 IRB Rugby World Cup. Madibaz deputy director of sport Petrus Boukes said the city's Springbok supporters would have the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of some of their heroes' most memorable moments, get expert predictions on this year's international tournament and scoop up some rare memorabilia. In 1970, Marais became the former UPE's first player to run onto the field for his country. The following year he captained the Springbok tour to Australia, where the South Africans earned the nickname "The Invincibles". Vos was part of the national team from 1998 to 2001 and took over the captain's armband from Joost van der Westhuizen after the 1999 World Cup. They will be joined by fellow Boks Eben Olivier, Schalk Burger (senior) and Garth Wright, former junior Springbok and television commentator Gavin Cowley and, arguably the greatest centre ever to don the green and gold, Danie Gerber. This is in addition to the already announced members of the 1995 World Cup winning squad Hannes Strydom, Hennie le Roux and Garry Pagel, as well as the 2007 world champions' squad manager Zola Yeye and former Blitzbokke coach Paul Treu. Boukes said the Bok Banter event would be an unprecedented gathering of some of the country's biggest rugby legends in the metro. "What makes it even more special is that every one of the participating celebrities has a personal connection as an alumnus or former employee of NMMU. We're honoured to welcome them back to the Friendly City. "We'll also present a special three-course dinner in rugby tradition - the kick off, scrum down and final …