Gwala confident Ubuntu can pull off Stars upset
THE FEEL-good Ubuntu Cape Town story would not have been possible without their courageous performances in Nedbank Cup. As a club, the NFD team does so much good in their community – a youth academy and soccer school – and the ultimate vision is always to uplift and inspire the kids who walk through their doors. Over the last few weeks, because of the exposure generated by their Cup run, their message of hope has pervaded football circles throughout the country.
Now Ubuntu host PSL side Free State Stars in the quarter-finals of the competition at Athlone Stadium on Saturday afternoon (3.30pm kickoff) as they look to continue their role as giant-killers in the Cup; the Capetonians have already dispatched of top-flight clubs Polokwane City and AmaZulu.
A few months ago, there wouldn’t have been all that many football followers who knew the name Ubuntu Cape Town. Now, after a sensational Cup campaign, which sees the rookie club participating in this weekend’s quarter-final stage, there are plenty of fans across the country rooting for the surprise package of the competition. Everybody, as they always say, loves the underdog – and the rookie Cape club can most certainly be ranked in that category. But, win or lose against Stars, for Ubuntu it’s already mission accomplished.
“The exposure for the club has been positively overwhelming,” said head coach Casey Prince, who is also one of the founders of the Ubuntu football philosophy. “It has been important for the youth academy and everybody involved at the club has enjoyed the experience. By playing in this competition we’ve been treated like a PSL club – and it has really been great to see how things are done at that level. What it has done is to offer our club and its players the motivation to say: Why can’t we in seasons to come begin a positive run and try to get to that level?”
Ubuntu got to the NFD by purchasing the franchise of neighbours FC Cape Town. They are in their debut season in the division, which is why they initially struggled to get going as everything was rather new. But in recent months, they have shown tremendous improvement, which, of course, coincided with their magnificent run in the Cup.
The main motivation behind getting the club to the NFD was to provide something for players in their academy and school to aim for. The objective was achieved in that quite a few of the graduates are now making their presence felt in the NFD team. But, not just that, in addition to the club’s youngsters coming through the ranks, Ubuntu have also managed to lure talent from other teams. One such name who has come to prominence is central defender Khanya Gwala.
The 25-year-old from the Eastern Cape has trod a long journey in his quest to make it as a professional footballer. He’s had stints at Orlando Pirates, the University of Pretoria and Cape Town All Stars – but it’s now at Ubuntu where he is finally blossoming as a player.
“It has been a great learning season for us,” said Gwala. “But, despite that, it has also been a great season, in that we have people behind the scenes who inspire us, not just as footballers but with regards to life too. It is like a family at Ubuntu.”
As for coming up against Stars on Saturday, Gwala is quietly confident that Ubuntu can pull off another upset.
“They (Stars) are a difficult team to play against,” said the defender. “But we have prepared well and we are ready. We are just going to focus on ourselves and on what we have to do. We have many quality youngsters in the squad, who are improving with every training session and with every game. The players have a great mentality, which is why we have to make sure that we create chances and that we don’t make any errors at the back.”
One of South Africa’s most exciting ultra-distance athletes, Steyn has improved dramatically with every outing in the past year. The 28-year-old from the Free State moved to Dubai in 2014 as a quantity surveyor, joining the Desert Road Runners Club to make friends. Seven months later she flew back to South Africa to her first Comrades Marathon, finishing 56th in 8:19:08. She was back to place 14th in 2016 in 7:08:23 (after a similar position at Two Oceans), and stunned the running world with her 4th place in 6:45:45 in last year’s Comrades “up” run. A marathon best of 2:37:22 and an impressive 10km of 34:35 suggests a podium place is in the offing.
Few athletes can boast a running CV as impressive as the 42-year-old Pretoria athlete. Comrades champion in 2016 and second in Two Oceans in 2013 underlined Bosman’s successful transition to ultra-distance running after representing South Africa on five occasions at the world and Africa half-marathon championships and in the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in 2006. Her 10km and 15km times of 33:41 and 52:47 are impressive, but were set in the last millennium.
The other half of the “Kalmer sisters”, five years younger than her older and more acclaimed double-Olympian sister, Rene, the 32-year-old civil engineer makes her ultra-marathon debut on Saturday, venturing into territory her older sister has yet to tread. With several top 10 positions (a highest of 5th ) in the Two Oceans Half Marathon, a 10km best of 33:53 and a marathon PB of 2:33:43 in Spain in 2015, Kalmer is one of the fastest in Saturday’s field, but her lack of ultra-distance experience could count against her.
The 36-year-old Durban-based athlete lacks nothing for determination, loves winning in Cape Town and has her sights set on significant ultra-marathon success to match her achievements over shorter distances. Winner of the Gun Run Half Marathon in Cape Town for the past three years, Challenor has represented South Africa at the World Half Marathon Championships in 2014 (after taking bronze at the 2013 SA Championships) and the World Marathon Championships in London last year. Boasting a marathon best of 2:37:12, Challenor will be looking to go one better than her runners-up position in last year’s Two Oceans.
And don’t rule out these athletes: Dominika Stelmach-Stawczyk (Poland); Renee Metivier Baillie (USA); Salem Alebachew (Ethiopia); Camille Herron (USA); Jennifer Koech (Kenya); Tanith Maxwell (Cape Town and RSA)