THURSDAY June 26, 2014 |0 047 050 4430 | www.mthathaexpress.co.za | mthathaexpress.mobi | [email protected] or [email protected] | Previously known as the Mthatha Fever EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE press MTHATHA 60 000 COPIES WEEKLY Port St Johns | Mthatha | Libode | Ngqeleni | Tsolo | Qumbu | Mount Frere Terms & condition apply WE WILL BEAT ANY WRITTEN QUOTE BEE Compliant 7 Sprigg street Mthatha Tell 047 532 4599 / 061 785 0503 R124.99 Cement R73.99 R650.00 Blocks R5.75 each Porcelain tiles per m2 60 x 60 starting from * * * * each each Dulux Berger Master R699.00 R299.00 Dulux Weather Guard 8 Panel Door with Hinges FREE NPC MTK76F-260614-TE-ebkmwa-hyper2 BABALWA NDLANYA A T least 15 people were arrested last week when anarchy erupted in the Ncora Administrattive Ar- ea in Cofimvaba. Special police forces were deployed to re- store order and residents were warned to stop their violent behaviour or face arrest. Cofimvaba Station Commander, Lieuten- ant Colonel Gcinikhaya Taleni, said people had to stop fighting immediately and find oth- er ways to resolve their disputes. “SAPS have deployed Public Order Police (POP) and the Tactical Response Unit (TRT) to defuse the conflict. These units will continue patrol the area until the situation is calm. Any- one who continues with criminal activities will be arrested immediately,” said Taleni. Whitlesea Corporate Communication, War- rant Officer Namhla Mdleleni, confirmed that police officials from Cofimvaba had arrested 15 suspects and that 13 cases had been opened at the station following the conflict. “The fifteen suspects were arrested after al- legedly burning down houses and committing other crimes. The suspects were charged with arson, attempted murder, murder, rape and assault,” said Mdleleni. She said Police officials also confiscated a number of dangerous weapons from the pub- lic. It is alleged that nine homesteads were burnt down and that a woman (50) was raped, stabbed and robbed of an undisclosed amount of money. In another incident a man (50) was stabbed to death and his wife seriously injured. A case of murder had been opened. The conflict follows a dispute in which two factions – Board 4 and Producers Assembly – are not seeing eye to eye about development in the area. According to a source, who wishes not to be named, faction members were blaming one another for not reporting back to the commu- nity about developmental issues in the area, with specific reference to the Ncora Irrigation Scheme (NIS). A resident, Ace Posholo, said according to his knowledge, a dairy was operating in the NIS, and that another one was in the pipeline. “Some of the land has already been ploughed. These people who are attacking us, say they don’t want the development.” He said he was victimised and attacked while he was at home, and told Express that his house was bombed and his tavern, tractor and other vehicles vandalised. “Even though the situation is tense, we are sleeping in our homes. But I have heard that some people were sleeping in the mealie fields out of fear of being victimised at home. Ac- cording to my knowledge eleven houses were burnt down.” The secretary for the House of Traditional Leaders, Chief Xolile Ndevu, said he was una- ware of the problems. 5 ARRESTED: RESIDENTS WARNED Anarchy grips Ncora Nyandeni Great Place recently launched its winter circumcision season and has come up with plans to curb botched circumcision and deaths. Read full story on page 4. PHOTO:SUPPLIED Winter circumcision season launched
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THURSDAY June 26, 2014 |0 047 050 4430 | www.mthathaexpress.co.za | mthathaexpress.mobi | [email protected] or [email protected] | Previously known as the Mthatha Fever EDITOR: BETTIE GILIOMEE
pressMTHATHA
60 000 COPIES WEEKLY Port St Johns | Mthatha | Libode | Ngqeleni | Tsolo | Qumbu | Mount Frere
Terms & condition applyWE WILL BEAT ANY WRITTEN QUOTE BEE Compliant7 Sprigg street Mthatha Tell 047 532 4599 / 061 785 0503
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BABALWA NDLANYA
AT least 15 people were arrestedlast week when anarchy eruptedin the Ncora Administrattive Ar-ea in Cofimvaba.
Special police forces were deployed to re-store order and residents were warned to stoptheir violent behaviour or face arrest.
Cofimvaba Station Commander, Lieuten-ant Colonel Gcinikhaya Taleni, said peoplehad to stop fighting immediately and find oth-er ways to resolve their disputes.
“SAPS have deployed Public Order Police(POP) and the Tactical Response Unit (TRT) todefuse the conflict. These units will continue
patrol the area until the situation is calm. Any-one who continues with criminal activitieswill be arrested immediately,” said Taleni.
Whitlesea Corporate Communication, War-rant Officer Namhla Mdleleni, confirmed thatpolice officials from Cofimvaba had arrested15 suspects and that 13 cases had been openedat the station following the conflict.
“The fifteen suspects were arrested after al-legedly burning down houses and committingother crimes. The suspects were charged witharson, attempted murder, murder, rape andassault,” said Mdleleni.
She said Police officials also confiscated anumber of dangerous weapons from the pub-lic. It is alleged that nine homesteads wereburnt down and that a woman (50) was raped,
stabbed and robbed of an undisclosed amountof money.
In another incident a man (50) was stabbedto death and his wife seriously injured. A caseof murder had been opened.
The conflict follows a dispute in which twofactions – Board 4 and Producers Assembly– are not seeing eye to eye about developmentin the area.
According to a source, who wishes not tobe named, faction members were blaming oneanother for not reporting back to the commu-nity about developmental issues in the area,with specific reference to the Ncora IrrigationScheme (NIS).
A resident, Ace Posholo, said according tohis knowledge, a dairy was operating in the
NIS, and that another one was in the pipeline.“Some of the land has already been ploughed.These people who are attacking us, say theydon’t want the development.”
He said he was victimised and attackedwhile he was at home, and told Express thathis house was bombed and his tavern, tractorand other vehicles vandalised.
“Even though the situation is tense, we aresleeping in our homes. But I have heard thatsome people were sleeping in the mealie fieldsout of fear of being victimised at home. Ac-cording to my knowledge eleven houses wereburnt down.”
The secretary for the House of TraditionalLeaders, Chief Xolile Ndevu, said he was una-ware of the problems.
5ARRESTED: RESIDENTSWARNED
AnarchygripsNcora
Nyandeni Great Place recently launchedits winter circumcision season and hascome up with plans to curb botchedcircumcision and deaths. Read full storyon page 4. PHOTO:SUPPLIED
Wintercircumcisionseasonlaunched
2 NewsJune 26, 2014Mthatha Express
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SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE
PRIOR to May’s general elections, manytowns in the former Transkei were plaguedby service delivery protests and it now seemsas if this problem is back.
Eighteen Ntabankulu residents were ar-rested in ward 7 of the Drayini location in Nta-bankulu last week.
Police spokesperson, Captain Mlungisi Ma-tidane, confirmed the incident, stating that
the police are compelled to arrest residentswho are blocking roads.
The Expresswas also told that service deliv-ery protests are looming for towns like Mt Ay-liff, Mt Frere and Bizana. People were sayingthat no one had yet visited these towns to makegood on promises made prior to the election.
Before the elections there were a numberof service delivery protests, which had result-ed in interventions by local leaders, who hadto convince residents to vote.
Political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni, ex-
Servicedeliveryprotests loomagain
SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE
DESPITE speculation that the KingSabatha Dalindyebo (KSD) Municipality’sbank account had run dry, officials are say-ing that all municipal employees would bepaid at the end of the month.
Municipality employees started to panicand threatened to strike, following a news-paper report, that the municipal accounthad run dry after having paid out millionsof rands for a settlement.
According to municipal spokesperson,Sonwabo Mampoza, it had been in the pub-
KSDwill pay its employees
plained why the protests seem to be comingback. “Some community members who wererefusing to vote went to vote on May 7, be-cause they were promised that their demandswould be attended to after the elections, butnow the leaders are not coming to them.”
He said people also wanted to express theiranger, so that their demands could be metfirst.
Somadoda advised the newly elected gov-ernment to build the capacity of local govern-ment to respond to the demands and commu-
nicate more effectively.He said there was a need to instil profes-
sionalism within the municipalities andbuild confidence.
“The government must also second thesame people who were previously working forthese small municipalities and ask the pri-vate sector to also offer their skills. Peoplewearing more than one hat are also posingchallenges . . . This creates a lot of problemswhen it comes to proper accountability,” saidFikeni.
lic domain that employees of the King Saba-ta Dalindyebo Municipality would not gettheir salaries at the end of June 2014.
Last week Tuesday, King SabataDalindyebo Executive Mayor, CouncillorNonkoliso Ngqongwa, called a meetingwith all employees to assure them that theywould receive their salaries.
“There is no need to panic,” said Mampo-za.
He said the matter would be tabled before
Council in the next Council meeting.“It was unfortunate that the matter had
reached the media, since it was an internalmatter,” concluded Mampoza.
South African Municipal Workers’ Union(SAMWU) representative in King SabataDalindyebo municipality, Lwazi Madyibi,said the Mayor had assured them that theywould be paid and as a result they are notexpecting any further surprises.
“We trust her,” said Madyibi.
MTHATHA EXPRESS | THURSDAY 26 JUNE 2014 NEWS 3
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Students celebrateYouthDay
Students perfoming the “Sarafina” dance at the recently held Lilitha College nursing YouthDay celebrations. The event was organised to show appreciation for the youths who werekilled in 1976 and to raise awareness for the hardships many people had to go through inorder for the current youth to enjoy freedom.
Visual for illustration purposes. Retail price R274 800. 0% Deposit, 72 months, 30% Balloon (R82 440),9.5% interest rate. Total cost of finance R365 730. * Free insurance for the first 12 months. Instalment quotedexcludes on road cost, initiation fee and R57 bank service fee. Subject to bank approval. Terms and Conditions apply.
In accordance with the editorial policy of theMthatha Express, we invite readers tocomment on mistakes in the newspaper andshall correct significant errors as soon aspossible. Send info to the Ombudsman ofMedia24’s Local Press, George Claassen, [email protected] or call him at0 021 851 3232. Readers can also contactthe SA Press Ombudsman at0 011 484 3612/8 or e-mail [email protected].
OMBUDSMAN
SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE
POLICE have arrested two suspects for thekidnappingandkilling ofMthathanunSis-ter Mary Paule Tacke (82).
According to police spokesperson, Colo-
nel Mzukisi Fatyela, the suspects were ar-rested on June 19 and 21 in the Sibangwenilocation, Mthatha, after a massive man-hunt by the Police. Both will appear incourt again on July 7.
Sister Tacke (82), who was regarded asa Good Samaritan in the area who dedicat-
Suspects arrested in nun kidnapping andmurdered herself to the well-being of children, waskidnapped by armed men in Norwood in Mt-hatha during a visit to the Thembelitshachildren’s home. Her body was later foundfloating in a stream in Tyara Village in Li-bode. Her car was found in the Qokolwenilocation about 25 km away from Mthatha.
AYANDA MILLISA MADIKIZELA
Nyandeni Great Place launched its circumci-sion season last Monday in Libode, aiming toprevent botched circumcisions and deathsthis winter season.
Nyandeni Great Place spokesperson,Mlamli Ndamase, said the circumcision ritu-al was becoming uncontrollable so they hadto come up with a plan.
“Nyandeni came to an agreement that eachseason will only be officially opened by KingNdlovuyezweNdamase toprevent illegal initi-
ation schools in our locations,” said Ndamase.On the day of the launch, an ox was slaugh-
tered and traditional beer (umqombhothi)was prepared to perform a ritual to talk to theancestors about a safer circumcision season.Ndamase said the ritual was performed toapologize to the ancestors for any wrongsthat they have done for their children to diewhen this custom is performed and to alsourge the ancestors to guide the initiatesthroughout the season.
“We hope for a death-free season and wework closely with the department of healthand the police,” he said.
Circumcision season launchedTraditional leaders attending and commu-
nitymemberswereurged tobeon the look-outfor any suspicious surgeons and initiationschools in their areas and to quickly reportsuch information to the police and to healthauthorities.
Nkosi Nzululwazi Nobuya from Port StJohns,whowas among the traditional leadersattending the launch, said the plan was yield-ing positive results.
“We are now able to control what is goingon in our areas and it makes it easy for us tospot illegal initiation schools and the deathshave decreased,” said Nobuya.
REPORTER
ATHOL TROLLIP, DA-leader in the EasternCape, said they would only be totally satisfiedif more arrests follow in the Hawk investiga-tionwhich lead to seniorBuffaloCityMetro of-ficials, including mayor Zukiswa Ncitha andher deputy Temba Tinta, handing themselvesover to the Hawks on Monday over the Mande-la funeral scandal.
“We are very happy about the investigation.
Hawks clampdownonBCMofficialsIt proves that the Hawks are taking the allega-tionsseriously.Butwewillonlybesatisfiedoncemore arrests have been made. “It is clear thatmoneyhasbeen launderedand fraudcommittedand it is important that people suffer the conse-quences of the offences,” said Trollip.
Also on the list of those handing themselvesover on Monday, are council speaker Luleka Si-mon-Ndzele, councillor Sindiswa Gomba andOndela Mahlangu, who is the acting director ofexecutive support services in themayor’s office.
East London newspaper Daily Dispatch re-
ported that Simon-Ndzele was the first to arriveat theHawksoffices inEastLondon, followedbyMahlangu. Tinta, accompanied by two bodyguards, arrived moments later. About 30 min-utes later, Ncitha joined them.The Daily Dispatch, broke the story about the
scandal a few weeks after the funeral.AtthecentreofthecontroversywastheANC’s
BCM regional secretary Phumlani Mkolo, whoappeared to have engineered the movement offunds into various bank accounts.
In a statement on Monday, the Department ofLocal Government and Traditional Affairs(DLGTA) confirmed the arrests of Ncita, Tintaand Luleka Simon-Ndzele.
5NewsJune 26, 2014Mthatha Express
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NANDI Mpofukazi Mancotywa (74), whopassed away last week after a heart attack,will be laid to rest on Friday June 27, at RossMission.
Mancotywa, who is the mother of the Na-tional Heritage Council (NHC), Chief Execu-tive Officer (CEO), Sonwabile Mancotywa,will be remembered as parent, grandmotherand community builder.The church ceremony will be officiated by
the Assemblies of God Church, at the familyhomestead in Ross Mission, Mthatha, from9am.Various dignitaries, including Ambassa-
dor Rapu Molekane, Lulu Johnson (MP);Minister of Arts andCulture, theHonourableNathi Mthethwa and the Minister of Sportand Recreation, Honourable Fikile Mbalula,will be attending the funeral service.Sonwabile Mancotywa said “Zibs”, as she
was affectionately known, loved music andwas a choir conductor. During her earlytwenties she qualified as a teacher – a profes-sion she was committed to for 60 years.“Shewas the firstAfrican teacheratGqwesa,
anareawhichwasdeeplyruralandhistoricallymarginalized. The choice of this noble profes-sionwas as a result of inspiration fromher par-ents who loved education,” said Mancotywa.As a qualified teacher, she nurtured,
moulded and produced many generations ofpupils during her long years of service. Afterretirement she opened, and became principalof, a crèche for close on ten years. Destituteand vulnerable children as well as orphansreceived care and education at the crèche. Af-ter a longand successful campaignbyher and
her colleagues, the crèche and its welfareservices were officially recognised by the De-partment of Education. The crèche became afeeder school for Ross Primary School.Nandi was the eldest daughter of the late
Jameson Mangeni Nozigqwaba and DoraNozigqwaba. Born in Gqwesa, Qumbu in theEastern Cape, she was the first born in thesecond marriage of her father. From Qumbuthe family relocated to Mount Frere, whereher father ran a hospitality business.
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SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE
DESPITEadecent education and fame, aman(74) who once starred in a television show,chooses to live like a modern-day RobinsonCrusoe in the forest near Port St Johns.
Ben Adolf Dekker has a Bachelor’s degreein Psychology, a BA honours degree, and heused to be an Afrikaans actor.He became known for portraying the char-
acter of Gaitsigubib in the Afrikaans TV se-ries Vlakte Duskant Hebron.He said his father was Managing Director
of an oil company here in South Africa, butthat he had forgotten the company’s name.Ben left a life of comfort for the forestwhere
he stays alone and lives off the land.Big Ben, as he is affectionately known, has
been staying in the Mthumbane forest nextto Second Beach, for almost 35 years now andsaid he enjoys every second.He told Express that the reason he chose to
stay there was his love for the environmentand for plants.He cultivates plants to preventsoil erosion.He has built “shanties” inside the forest
and sometimesheevenaccommodatespeoplewho don’t have a place to stay.He has a studiowhere he puts his work and
some items he has collected from the sea, astudy room and a place where he dries plantswhich he uses as medicine.He said no one hinders him and that he al-
ways sleeps peacefully.Big Ben said he does not spend too much
money. “I only buy oil. The rest I get from na-ture.” He doesn’t smoke and likes to readbooks about plants and the history of theworld and even has copies of Mthatha Ex-press and Uvo Lwethu Express.“The only money I spend is to buy my fa-
vourite drink, red wine. The rest I get fromthe plants and sea,” said Big Ben. Accordingtohim,most tourists visit his place to seehowhe survives.He said he has friends all over the world,
including the leader of the Inkatha FreedomParty (IFP), Mangosuthu Buthelezi.Ben said death alone could terminate his
love for the environment. He doesn’t haveany children or a woman in his life.When the Express arrived at his place he
was busy paving the way to his shanty. “I ampreparing the route for my visitors so thatthey can walk here easily.”Big Ben was born in Centane, before his
parentsmoved to East London, where he pur-sued his studies at the Saasveld Forestry Col-lege.He then went to Rhodes University where
he obtained his BA honours. Thereafter hewent to Cape Town,where heworked for Am-nesty International. He travelled a lot in thecountries he was deployed to by Amnesty In-ternational. Among other countries, he wasdeployed to Sudan.
Ben Dekker in his study with a picture of Nelson Mandela. PHOTO: SIM MDLEDLE
This is how Ben prepares food at his place inthe forest. PHOTO:SIM MDLEDLE
MTHATHA EXPRESS | THURSDAY 26 JUNE 2014 NEWS 7Metropolita
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SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE
MTNdonated eight laptops to theMbuqe Jun-ior Secondary School in Mthatha last week.
The donation forms part of MTN’s drive toinclude schools in the former Transkei in thedigital world.Michael Mcolman, MTN regional Market-
ing Manager for the Eastern Cape, said theinitiative also formed part of the company’s21-day-campaign to give back to the commu-nity who supported them.He said they were enabling pupils to do re-
search without having to leave the schoolgrounds.School Governing Body member, Mbulelo
Sandlana, expressed his gratitude to MTN.“This will improve the standard of learningat the school.“Now our children don’t need to leave the
premises in order to do research.”School principal, Manalandile Mazomba,
also expressed his gratitude to MTN andcalled on other companies to follow inMTN’sfootsteps.MTN is expected to donate more laptops
throughout the Eastern Cape.
School receiveslaptops for research
Mbuqe JSS principal (in black) Malandile Mazomba, flanked by MTN staff members with MTN’sdonation of laptops. PHOTO:SIM MDLEDLE
8 Advertisement Mthatha Express June 26, 2014
June 26, 2014 Mthatha Express Advertisement 9
10NewsJune 26, 2014Mthatha Express
DR CHIPALEUphoxekile okanye 2-3 days ingxaki yakho
Reader responds to “PSJ needs help with un-wanted ‘tourists,’” published in last week’s Ex-press.
I was shocked to read the article publishedyesterday in theExpressnewspaper.Thealleged‘facts’ of the article were untrue, unsupported,and inaccurate. The article paints a very differ-ent picture to reality. I amevenmore concernedaboutstatementsmadebyMnyamezeliMangqo,the current Mayor of Port St Johns, which aremisleading and also untrue.Andhaving spokentoagreatnumberofPortStJohnsbusinessown-ers and residents this morning, we share theopinion that this kind of publicity works com-pletely against our attempts to further develop
the tourism potential in our little town.PortStJohnsattractsanumberof international
tourists. Unfortunately, however, we attract farlessinternationalinterestthanthemajorityofoth-erpartsofSA.Whilst themajorityof internationaltourists head straight toCapeTownandalong theGardenRoute, theWildCoast isoftenmissed.Thisis extremely unfortunate considering the naturalbeauty, rollinghills,massivewaterfalls, and stun-ningbeaches. Port St Johns is also rich in culture,and nowhere else in SAwill you find such strongtraditional values as in this region.Amapondo and Jungle Monkey Backpackers
are the two largest backpackers in town, both ofwhich are successful businesses with great repu-tationsthroughoutSouthAfricaandevenabroad.
The owners of these two establishments workin support of each other to develop a positivereputation for Port St Johns as a tourist desti-nation. They are responsible for attracting agreat deal of international tourists, as well asproviding a large number of jobs for local resi-dents.Amapondo Backpacker Lodge runs a volun-
teer programme called the Amapondo Chil-dren’s Project (or ACP for short), which is anon-profit organisation located in Port StJohns. (They prefer to refer to their volunteersas ‘voluntourists’.)The Amapondo Children’s Project (ACP)
started in 2001 and was registered as an NPOin 2006. It focuses on recognizing the needs ofthe local people in order to create community-led initiatives, jobs, education, self-empower-ment and valuable exchange whilst utilizingtheskillsandexperienceofbothlocalandinter-national voluntourists.TheACP offers ongoing community support
through its involvement in a number ofprojects. Their current focus is the PSJ Child-care Centre, the Mthumbane Pre-PrimarySchool and the Khulani Sewing Centre, andthey are always looking formore support fromvoluntourists who give of their time selflesslyand altruistically to benefit the local impover-ished community. They offer short-term orlongterm packages where voluntourists pay alevy that goes into the Non-Profit Organiza-tions private bank account. This is a fund-rais-ing initiative and all the money that is raisedfrom this (mostly) international investment isused directly with the people most in need inPort St Johns. This means that whilst the vol-untourists get the opportunity to become in-volved in teaching, gardening, building andmaintenance for a number of these worthyProjects, at the same time, their financial con-tribution adds to the sustainability of theAmapondoChildren’sProject, andall thebene-ficiaries thereof.JungleMonkeyBackpackersisalsoinvolved
in various community projects and have evenhosted fund-raising events focusing specifical-ly on the musical talent of the Port St Johns’youth. Events such as these raise the opportu-nityfordisaffectedyouthinPSJ,whilstencour-
aging skills, opportunity, and empowerment.The article published in the Express newspa-
peralsomentionsdrugabuseasaproblemwith-in the community of Port St Johns, and makesinferences to these problems being associatedwith the backpackers (which are described as‘drug lords’ in the article) as well as the volun-teers. This is not true.Whilst theWildCoast region carries a reputa-
tion for marijuana, which is grown in abun-dance in some of the more rural areas, this ‘na-tional’ concern certainly does not stem from thebackpackers of Port St Johns. Both AmapondoandJungleMonkeyBackpackershavestrictpol-icies towards drugs. Sign boards frequent bothestablishments explaining their approach todrugs indicating that illegal substances are nottolerated.The Mayor, Mnyamezeli Mangqo, also made
references to illegal activity of boats and shipsthat frequent the Port St Johns shore lines,wherestrangeandsuspiciousdealingsaregoingon.The insinuation is that theseboats are some-howrelated to illegal immigrationanddrugtraf-ficking. Although I have no evidence to claimotherwise, as a resident of Port St Johns, andwithahomethatoverlooksSecondBeach, Ihavenever seen any such suspicious boating activityat sea.Furthermore, I canguarantee that if suchactivity does go on, it hasnothing to dowith anyof the backpackers in town.If a drug problem exists, then this should be
confronted directly by themunicipality and thepolice, who should work with the residents andbusiness owners, as well as the backpackers, toensure that Port St Johns does not attract tour-ists for the wrong kind of reasons.Instead of this kind of negative criticism of
Port St Johns, we should instead be embracingour wonderful community, and be grateful forthe local, andespecially the international volun-tourists who frequent our town and contributemoney and time to our residents in need. Thereare so many reasons to visit this stunning littlecoastal town. I hope that articles like these, andthe statements made by prominent representa-tives of PSJ, are considered carefully before be-ing made public.
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THISweek, soccer and cricket great, SakhiweMike Sodo, talks to Simbongile Mdledle in theLegends’ corner.
Mike, as he is affectionately known, wasborn and bred in the Ncise AdministrativeArea in the Ntshabeni Location in Mthatha.“I grew up like any other boy, looking after
cattle and taking part in stick fighting (imid-lalo). I also played soccer and rugby and tookpart in athletics and boxing.”In soccer, Mike reached the senior division
when his club, Ncise Real Hunters, reachedthe Transkei Premier League.Real Hunterswas one of the first clubs from
the rural areas to take part in an organizedfootball league, competing against clubs fromurban areas like Bush Bucks, Tembu Royalsand Liverpool.“Whenwewere promoted to the senior divi-
sion, we were number one in the League,meaning we had managed not only to top thelog, but to beat the best teams of the time. Asthemaxim goes, ‘to be the best, youmust beatthe best’.”Mike had also been chairperson and secre-
tary for the Transkei Football Association,Junior League at different times.He said they had played against many
teams, including Khambi Bones, Black Cut-ters from Ncambele, Home Defenders fromNcambedlana and Efata School for the Deaf.But, according to Mike, none of the teams
they had played against ever reached theheights they did.“This was largely owing to the support we
received from the late Mr Manyifolo or
Khangelani, as he was known.”In 1980 Mike gradually gave up active in-
volvement in sport, since he had by then reg-istered for a Bachelor of Arts General at theUniversity of the Transkei.“The training schedules clashed with my
studies. I had to prioritise and have no re-grets over my decision to focus on my stud-ies. It brought me to where I am at today.After finishing my studies, I started teach-ing. I taught at three schools, QokolweniSenior Secondary School (SSS), DalindyeboSSS and Leslie Nkala SSS.”Mike established boxing clubs at each of
these schools. When he became an Educa-tion Specialist (umhloli), he established theIkhwezi Boxing Club (IBC).“This was a very important vehicle for
driving boxing. My major legacy in boxingwas to create friendships among club man-agers,” he said.The OR Tambo region today boasts a
World Boxing Association Pan AfricanChampion and a South African Champion,Simphiwe Khonco, as well as other top box-ers.Advising the youth, Mike said one major
problem facing the youth was the abuse ofdrugs. “One way of dealing with this chal-lenge is active involvement in sport. Thismay not be the only answer to the problemof drug abuse, but there is no doubt that achild in sport is a child out of court. Finally,education is the cornerstone of develop-ment.Presently, Mike is furthering his studies
with UNISA and still stays inNcise with his
wife Fezeka, the daughter of Nkosi VulisangoNdamase of Lukhanyisweni, Libode.“Today we have water, electricity and good
schools in the rural areas. I see no reason tomigrate and live elsewhere.” They have fivechildren (three sons and two daughters).Mike isworking for the department of Sport,
Recreation, Arts and Culture in the ORTamboDistrict as the District Manager. “Our role,among others, is the development of sport inthe area. I am reasonably satisfied with thework we are doing.”
Legends’ corner
Sakhiwe Mike Sodo. PHOTO: SIM MDLEDLE
Leading and teaching are his passions
12SportJune 26, 2014Mthatha Express
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Manager's Specials
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SIMBONGILE MDLEDLE
THE OR Tambo region is on a mission to endan old belief that East London is the dominat-ing force in boxing, as per the boxing historyof the Eastern Cape.
This is shown by the performance of boxersfromtheORTamboregion, oftenwinningandholding their own against East London box-ers during tournaments.The OR Tambo region boasts a significant
number of professional boxers.The region also made its presence felt, in
pursuit of its mission, during the elite cham-pionships which took place in Port Elizabethrecently.OR Tambo emerged as number one in this
tournament which was aimed at selecting a
falo City, Cacadu, Chris Hani, Joe Ngqabi,Nelson Mandela Metropolitan and OR Tam-bo.OR Tambo came first with six gold medals,
one silver and many bronze medals, whileBuffalo City took four gold medals.One of the OR Tambo region’s coaches, Vi-
we Mdletyeni, said the reason they had con-quered the elite championships in Port Eliza-beth was that the boys worked very hard intraining and they showed commitment dur-ing this tourney. “So on the day it was justan application of what they have done intraining,” he said.Mdletyenisaid thatORTambohadturnedthe
tablesandthatEastLondonwasnolongerdomi-nating the boxing scene in the region. “Thisshows thatwehave the talent and thatORTam-bo is a boxing force to be reckoned with.”
ORTamboboxerstake centre stage
Looking urgently for Hazchemdrivers to start immediately.• Code 14Hazchem certificate compulsoryHonest and reliableMust be residing in Mthatha