Let’s do good this festive!
The year 2018 has come and is almost gone, with the last round of league fixtures upon us this weekend before we take a muchneeded Christmas break. This is the last edition of Soccer Laduma for 2018 and the first one will hit the shelves will be on January 9, so please make sure to note the dates.
That this is the last edition doesn’t mean it is the last time you will get your dosage of football news as our social media platforms as well as our website will be your port of call throughout the festive season. We will continue to serve you with your daily updates and keeping you informed on the happenings of local and international football, especially with the much-anticipated transfer window opening in two weeks’ time. A lot is expected to happen in the transfer market, as teams will be looking to beef up their squads. So keep yourself up to date by visiting our official website and stay glued to our social media platforms.
We are looking to wrap up the year in style and there will be reason for some to celebrate, while others will be licking their wounds after yet another calendar year without much to show for. Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs have nothing to show for 2018, although the Buccaneers will take solace in the fact that they reached the Telkom Knockout final and gave as good as they got from Baroka FC, while Chiefs will be hoping the arrival of coach Ernst Middendorp will change the club’s fortunes going forward. The two teams are expected to be the flagship of South African football, but that responsibility has been left to Mamelodi Sundowns in the last couple of seasons. Coach Pitso Mosimane’s charges have been regular representatives of Mzantsi in continental football and to say they’ve been good representatives would be an understatement. Their success is well documented, so is their commitment to the country’s cause.
It brought a huge sigh of relief when the two Soweto giants finally made it back to compete in the continent, with Bucs in the CAF Champions League and Amakhosi in the CAF Confederation Cup. The two teams, together with Sundowns, will be involved in their respective campaigns this weekend and all eyes will be on the representatives from Soweto, to ensure that they progress past the first round stages, unlike Free State Stars who fell at the first hurdle. No one can argue with the fact that the more teams, especially big teams, compete in the continent and take these tournaments seriously, the better it is for our football and ultimately Bafana Bafana. It is for that reason that one hopes the Soweto giants will give this their best shot and go in it to win it.
The Christmas break is the time to be spent with loved ones where we recharge our batteries and look forward to the New Year. However, a lot goes wrong during this period. We’ve already lost lives on our roads, with our people travelling across the country. Sadly, most of these road accidents could be avoided if people were diligent enough to respect the rules of the road and adhere to specific speed limits. It would also help for our people to make time for their travels instead of leaving things late and rushing, which is one of the reasons for the fatal crashes we’ve witnessed on our roads so far. We need to do good by not keeping quiet when our people, the people we claim to love, are stepping out of line due to excessive indulgence during this festive season. Let’s be brave and loving enough to reprimand misbehaviour for transgressors’ benefit as they may not be aware of the potential ramifications of their actions.
If we football people can unite in ensuring that our communities are safe and united, it would be easy to do than anyone else. I can’t think of anything else that can unite people the way sport, especially football, can. We have a huge role to play in our communities to drive change and give hope where there’s hopelessness. We have a lot of power that we sometimes seem unaware of. Let us use our power and influence to change lives and save people from themselves even, when the need arises.
Let us all stay safe this festive, enjoy the Christmas break with our loved ones and continue to raise a country of responsible and accountable citizens. It takes a village to raise a child, they say, and it takes the same village’s children to improve and better it. Enjoy the festive season, stay safe on and off the roads, and we hope to see you all up and running in January. Stay blessed, spread love and protect our women and children. United we stand, divided we fall.