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Articles by Allan Hendricks
South Africa: How Football Helped Thinasonke Mbuli Grieve
The Banyana Banyana assistant coach defied her mother's wishes when she pursued a career in sport. But football has kept Mbuli sane through tragedy, and it's a choice she would make again. Life as she knows it today would have been vastly different for Thinasonke Mbuli had she obeyed her mother's wishes. Happy Mkhwanazi-Mbuli had dreams of her only daughter becoming a chartered accountant, say, at the University of the Witwatersrand.
South Africa: Thando Ntini Unfazed By the Weight of Expectations
His surname and his father's accomplishments put the 20-year-old under more scrutiny than his peers. But that doesn't bother the talented bowler who has announced his name in style. Thando Ntini seems unfazed for someone who's about to embark on a pivotal chapter in his important cricketing life, having spent the most part of lockdown at home in East London with little reason to leave the house. "There's been some family time, some resting time. Some time to self-reflect, gym and study.
South Africa: Mpumelelo Mhlongo, Star Athlete and Healthcare Hero
The para-athlete who broke his own sprint record in Dubai last year is working to transform South Africa's healthcare system while targeting a storming performance at the Tokyo Games next year. As a boy, Mpumelelo Mhlongo's great-grandmother despised his impairment so much she called him "chicken foot" and would deny him porridge when no one was looking.
Joe van Niekerk lives the good life in Costa Rica
The Joe van Niekerk you knew and loved more than a decade ago is no more. He’s gone. The back-rower who played 52 Tests for the Springboks has dissolved in the mist of time that stretches from Johannesburg to Toulon, and now Costa Rica. His fearless runs off the fringes and stomach-churning tackles are lost to the random access memory of all except rugby scholars and scribes.
South Africa: The Gifted Gregory Mahlokwana Bowls Both Ways
The young, ambidextrous bowler was almost lost to cricket as a more certain career in law enforcement beckoned. But a chance meeting with his idol gave him the chance to pursue the pitch. Statistically, just 1% of the world's population is ambidextrous. But the ability to use both hands with equal strength and skill in a sport like cricket could prove priceless to a player's aspirations, as well as a country's cricketing fortunes.
The gifted Gregory Mahlokwana bowls both ways
Statistically, just 1% of the world’s population is ambidextrous. But the ability to use both hands with equal strength and skill in a sport like cricket could prove priceless to a player’s aspirations, as well as a country’s cricketing fortunes. So why do cricket coaches not encourage playing with both hands in a game that can so obviously accommodate it?
South Africa: The Women Golfers Leading the Way in SA
Compared with the men's game, women's golf still lacks support, but the Duma sisters and Zethu Myeki may just be the ones to change all that and become pioneers among black female players. Siviwe and Yolanda Duma are no strangers to South African golf circles, but this hasn't spared them from feeling ignored in a sport they grew up loving from the day their golf-obsessed father introduced them to it.
The women golfers leading the way in SA
Siviwe and Yolanda Duma are no strangers to South African golf circles, but this hasn’t spared them from feeling ignored in a sport they grew up loving from the day their golf-obsessed father introduced them to it. Enoch Duma was an avid amateur golfer from the Eastern Cape, but the sport became more than a hobby when he started working for the South African Golf Development Board (SAGDB).
Anrune Weyers fights for para-athlete recognition
Outside of the few sunny, glorious days of the Paralympic Games and the World Para Athletics championships, South Africa’s disabled athletes are barely noticed. The few such athletes who have climbed previously impossible heights and raised the national flag on the global stage have entered their names into sporting folklore but not necessarily the hearts of ordinary South Africans and the minds of influential sponsors.
South Africa: Sascoc Woes Impact On SA's Athletes
The body responsible for Olympic sports has been moving from one crisis to another, a state of affairs that has filtered down to their troubled preparations for next year's Games in Tokyo. On the morning of 28 August, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) delegation arrived late for a crucial sport portfolio meeting in Parliament. Here the organisation was meant to explain how it plans to navigate its way out of its current malaise.
Sascoc woes impact on SA’s athletes
On the morning of 28 August, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) delegation arrived late for a crucial sport portfolio meeting in Parliament. Here the organisation was meant to explain how it plans to navigate its way out of its current malaise. As it turns out, the delegation took a wrong turn or – more accurately – their Uber driver failed to navigate the Mother City’s congested streets and arrived late to pick them up.
The dangers of sporting euphoria
If South Africa was a person today, it would be Lebo Mogoma, a schoolboy from Helpmekaar College in Parktown, Johannesburg. His bright and hopeful eyes flashed across our screens and around the world in early November. Mogoma’s eyes turned red and gave way to tears when his hero, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, signed his boots from the open-top bus. Mogoma’s 15-year-old heart and mind were overwhelmed, unable to comprehend what he was feeling inside.
SA Rugby’s transformation problem
His smile beamed across the forecourt of the Hout Bay petrol station. The gentleman, probably in his 60s and classified as coloured by the apartheid government, pot-bellied and with thinning grey hair, had a reason to be happy. Along with his grin, he wore an All Blacks jersey from a decade ago with shorts that had seen better days. However, he wore his rugby jersey like it was brand new. The old man chatted joyfully with the petrol attendants about his favourite team.
South Africa: U.S. Draws On SA Rugby Talent for World Cup
The Eagles will benefit from a strong South African influence led by coach Gary Gold and former Springbok Jaque Fourie in their World Cup showing, backed by a solid rugby administration. The modern era has been fruitful for rugby in the United States. Its development model and parity between the sexes has been the envy of the sporting world.
US draws on SA rugby talent for World Cup
The modern era has been fruitful for rugby in the United States. Its development model and parity between the sexes has been the envy of the sporting world. The US women’s team won the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1991 and were runners-up in 1998 (World Rugby dropped the women’s designation from the event’s name in August 2019). The chair of the board of USA Rugby is a woman, Barbara O’Brien, who has been involved in the sport since 1970.
Rugby on the up in Africa
For the first time in its history, the Rugby World Cup will not be hosted in one of the game’s traditional centres of power. England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have all been entrusted with rugby’s past showpieces, but in September Japan will become the first Asian country to host the tournament. It’s a move that reveals World Rugby’s desire to diversify, and no doubt leverage its commercial muscle by taking the game to parts of the world it has ignored for too long.
Rugby on the up in Africa
For the first time in its history, the Rugby World Cup will not be hosted in one of the game’s traditional centres of power. England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have all been entrusted with rugby’s past showpieces, but in September Japan will become the first Asian country to host the tournament. It’s a move that reveals World Rugby’s desire to diversify, and no doubt leverage its commercial muscle by taking the game to parts of the world it has ignored for too long.
The new football champions of Stellenbosch
Stellenbosch never strays far from the glare of public conversation. The university town, as many meekly refer to it, has a legacy of questionable and laudable achievements in the chequered history of the divided Western Cape. Though there is little restraint shown in celebrating the Winelands’ sprawling vineyards, manicured estates and impressive art galleries, in true South African fashion it has a complicated past and a complex, indistinguishable future.
James Small’s extraordinary, beautiful and flawed life
James Small wanted it all. Through his talent for rugby he found fame and the trappings that come with it. He craved adoration from fans and the media, but when it became too much, he was suffocated by it. He became abrasive and resentful at being typecast. Small wanted victory on the field, too. A fierce competitor, he was prepared to do whatever it took to win and to achieve that, he embraced the “bad boy” image thrust upon him.
Stormy path behind and ahead of Siya Kolisi
“Do whatever it takes.” These gritty words seemed to go unspoken from coach to captain when the Stormers were backed into a corner, with the claustrophobia of perpetual defeat becoming unbearable. It was 27 April, Freedom Day in South Africa, but a day of reckoning for a Stormers team shackled by poor form and devastating injuries. Traumatic as the injuries were, there was more to come as coach Robbie Fleck’s troubled swansong at the Cape side reached a meek and natural end.
Laurian Johannes wants to open doors for women rugby coaches
The only person who remains calm and collected amid all the plaudits flying her way is coach Laurian Johannes herself. Her barrier-breaking appointment as the women’s national Under-20 team coach is the first big stride by SA Rugby on the path to gender parity for women in the sport. It’s a statement of intent by SA Rugby to appoint Johannes, making her the first woman to manage a South African rugby national team, with women’s rugby at an all-time high globally.
Project 654 and the new era of domestic cricket
Project 654. It’s mentioned in shop talk between staff at Cricket South Africa (CSA) and whispered in their interactions with curious media folk. It’s code for the austerity measures adopted by the bleeding cricket governing body, swimming against a tsunami in the form of a projected R654 million loss in revenue over the next four-year cycle.
Cape Town’s love-hate relationship with football
Form here By Allan Hendricks The gains made by white South Africans during apartheid manifest spectacularly in Cape Town’s greater metropolitan area and along the Atlantic Seaboard. Sports cars, SUVs and polyester run along the narrow, winding streets overlooking its plush suburbs.
Cape Town’s love-hate relationship with football
The gains made by white South Africans during apartheid manifest spectacularly in Cape Town’s greater metropolitan area and along the Atlantic Seaboard. Sport cars, SUVs and polyester run along the narrow, winding streets overlooking its plush suburbs. The Group Areas Act (1950) and other related nodes of apartheid’s planning network forced the poor to the periphery of economic existence, pushing them to the end of the line of services and facilities provided by the City of Cape Town.
Cape Town’s love-hate relationship with football
The gains made by white South Africans during apartheid manifest spectacularly in Cape Town’s greater metropolitan area and along the Atlantic Seaboard. Sport cars, SUVs and polyester run along the narrow, winding streets overlooking its plush suburbs. The Group Areas Act (1950) and other related nodes of apartheid’s planning network forced the poor to the periphery of economic existence, pushing them to the end of the line of services and facilities provided by the City of Cape Town.
Solidarity tackles sports quotas in labour court
There is a Youtube video, posted by trade union Solidarity, which unpacks its campaign to rid our sporting nation of “unconstitutional” racial quotas because they defy labour practices. “The same obsession with race the ANC suffers from, which brought Eskom to its knees, now features in a charter that wants to make sure that rugby, cricket and every other sport will be left in the dark from now on,” Solidarity chief executive Dirk Hermann says on the video, with no puns acknowledged.
Solidarity tackles sports quotas in Labour Court
There is a Youtube video, posted by trade union Solidarity, which unpacks its campaign to rid our sporting nation of “unconstitutional” racial quotas because they defy labour practices. “The same obsession with race the ANC suffers from, which brought Eskom to its knees, now features in a charter that wants to make sure that rugby, cricket and every other sport will be left in the dark from now on,” Solidarity chief executive Dirk Hermann says on the video, with no puns acknowledged.
Man with Labrador eyes and Rottweiler bite
Quinton de Kock’s eyes could play a leading role in a romantic comedy. In every interview, they appear to belong to a naughty schoolboy about to plead guilty to a misdemeanour. But his eyes lie. De Kock can be clinical and cunning in his execution of strokes, and combative and feisty when the moment requires it. Above the hum, deliberating the form and vigour of the Proteas batters, De Kock has emerged as a kingpin with the mentality and ability to carry his band of brothers over the line.
Man with Labrador eyes and Rottweiler bite
Quinton de Kock’s eyes could play a leading role in a romantic comedy. In every interview, they appear to belong to a naughty schoolboy about to plead guilty to a misdemeanour. But his eyes lie. De Kock can be clinical and cunning in his execution of strokes, and combative and feisty when the moment requires it. Above the hum, deliberating the form and vigour of the Proteas batters, De Kock has emerged as a kingpin with the mentality and ability to carry his band of brothers over the line.
Brexit stokes uncertainty in sport
The air of anxiety hangs too thick to be penetrated by the eyes that gaze towards a post-Brexit world. So much uncertainty over trade and movement in the near future, and in the distance — who knows? As the hour of turning back passes for Britain and the window of sanity is shuttered, March 29, the day the United Kingdom is to leave the European Union (EU), looms like a doomsday signifier on the horizon.
Brexit stokes uncertainty in sport
The air of anxiety hangs too thick to be penetrated by the eyes that gaze towards a post-Brexit world. So much uncertainty over trade and movement in the near future, and in the distance – who knows? As the hour of turning back passes for Britain and the window of sanity is shuttered, 29 March, the day the United Kingdom is to leave the European Union (EU), looms like a doomsday signifier on the horizon.
Are Proteas searching in vain for mythical No. 7?
Humankind’s obsession with the number seven dates back to biblical times and beyond. There are seven deadly sins, the seventh day is the day of rest for Jewish people and Muslims walk around the Kaaba in Mecca seven times. There are seven colours in the rainbow, seven continents and seven days of the week. In Chinese culture, the number represents the harmony between yin and yang, and the five elements of water, fire, earth, wood and metal. You get the idea.
Super Rugby Superheroes | Siya Kolisi
According to Germanic mythology, Thor was a temperamental, hammer-wielding god of lightning, thunder and storms. Then Hollywood turned him into Chris Hemsworth, a heartthrob with blonde hair and piercing eyes capable of charming the pants off a nerdy scientist. Thor is also a man of principle, with a tendency to save mankind from itself, even if the cost is his own life.
Illegal betting syndicates target MSL cricket
Hansie Cronje during cross-examination at the King commission of inquiry into allegations of cricket match-fixing. (AFP) It was a sweltering, late-winter day on March 19 2000 and India were playing host to the Proteas in a one-day international on a dry Nagpur wicket. The air was thick, but it had less to do with the humidity than what was about to transpire on the field.
Illegal betting syndicates target MSL cricket
It was a sweltering, late-winter day on 19 March 2000 and India were playing host to the Proteas in a one-day international on a dry Nagpur wicket. The air was thick, but it had less to do with the humidity than what was about to transpire on the field. Having set India a target of 321 to chase, South Africa captain Hansie Cronje tossed the new ball to off spinner Derek Crookes to open the bowling. It was a radical move, even for the forward-thinking Cronje. Commentators and analysts were confused.
Sport scores social development goals
Sport saved Mziyanda Matiwane’s life. Like many who live in the Overberg region, his story could have been one of struggle, abuse and tragedy. But as a football coach to hundreds of underprivileged children from Gansbaai, Masakhane and Blompark, Matiwane’s world is now filled with joy, inspiration and satisfaction. Founded in 2008, the Grootbos Football Foundation is a sport development programme that offers various group and individual sports activities.
Boxing in South Africa is down, but not out
On 4 September last year, South African National Boxing Organisation (Sanabo) made the error of missing an important meeting with the parliamentary sport and recreation portfolio committee. The representative missed the flight to Cape Town that morning and scrambled a profuse apology via email. But committee chairperson Beauty Dlulane and the rest of the committee were not impressed and refused to accept the apology.
The good, the bad and the future of the MSL
South African cricket’s governing body may have fallen short of its promise of delivering a world-class T20 league, but it can take credit for giving birth to one heck of a “domestic” league and unearthing a few rough diamonds in the process. For a long time, Cricket South Africa (CSA) lamented the sterile nature of the Ram Slam T20 competition. It generated no revenue and contributed little in the way of transformation or player development.
Sascoc defiant in the face of ministerial inquiry
Gideon Sam and the Sascoc leadership have generously given themselves until the new year to respond to the recommendations contained in the final report of the Ministerial Committee of Inquiry into the Olympic organisation. Nothing gets in the way of the Christmas break – not even organisational transformation of national importance.
Specman wants to go out with a bang
Rosko Specman, 29, is used to doing things in a hurry. It’s a job requirement for one of the fastest pairs of legs to grace a rugby field. Yet, in the surreal lighting of the twilight of his Sevens career and the dawn of a new 15-man journey, Specman displays a patience at odds with his on-field heroics.
CSA admits financial woes – but keep calm, it says
The financial thunderstorm Cricket South Africa (CSA) currently finds itself in is hardly surprising given the tough economic climate in the country. Anything remotely connected to the South African currency - and every institution that relies on government funding - has been imperilled over the past few years.
Promising lift-off for the MSL
AB de Villiers had no clue who Kyle Verreynne was when the pair locked eyes in the lift at Newlands Cricket Ground on Thursday, a day before the Cape Town Blitz took on De Villiers’ Tshwane Spartans in the first match of the inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL). “I didn’t know who he was. We looked at each other. He didn’t say anything at first,” De Villiers said. Of course, the Cape Cobras’ Verreynne knew who De Villiers was but played it cool, maybe star struck, we’ll never know.
Proteas women seek T20 glory
History is a true friend of women’s cricket. Though it is not commonly known, there was a women’s cricket World Cup before a men’s one. From the early 1900s women have been playing cricket for money. The Original English Lady Cricketers team, however, was robbed of their profits by their manager while on tour. Certainly women’s cricket has come a long way since England’s Enid Bakewell, one of the greats, had to pay for her airfare to Australia in 1968 by selling potatoes.
Mzansi Super League still on a sticky wicket
We now know that Cricket South Africa (CSA) didn’t waste precious minutes thinking of a quality name for its T20 showstopper. (Presumably, ‘Rush Job T20’ was taken, as was ‘Hit and Hope T20 League’. Although, admittedly, the bar had already been set pretty low with Big Bash League.) After weeks of speculation and bated anticipation, the cricket fraternity was put out of their collective misery with the reveal of CSA’s Mzansi Super League. That’s it. MSL for short.
Kunjani! Cricket scores isiXhosa
Black Africans have been playing cricket with style, flair and success since it was first introduced to the continent but it is only now that isiXhosa cricket terms have been officially accepted.Last month a booklet of cricket laws and terms in isiXhosa was presented to Cricket South Africa (CSA) board member Beresford Williams.The peculiar names given to fielding positions and deliveries in English have added texture to cricket, perhaps at the expense of making the game appear aloof.
Moving cricket towards a common language
Last month a new booklet of cricket laws and terms in isiXhosa was presented to Cricket South Africa (CSA) board member Beresford Williams. The peculiar names given to fielding positions and deliveries in English have added texture to cricket, even at the expense of making the game appear aloof. This has not been innocent of race.
Sport also feeling the financial pinch | New Frame
As South Africans endure the excruciating pain of a VAT increase, rising fuel prices and the spiralling cost of living, the business of sport has not been spared the trickle-down effects of a depressed economy. South Africa’s economic maelstrom has been a feature of the post-Jacob Zuma recovery project. It includes a budget deficit to the tune of R195 billion, thanks to the South African Revenue Service’s R50 billion shortfall.
Trial separation for stakeholders in T20 Global League?
When Cricket South Africa (CSA) borrowed from Hollywood’s obsession with an ensemble cast, the organisation gathered a bevy of doting cricket franchises, not so much as a band of superheroes hoping to save the city from evil overlords, but as a motley crew akin to the one in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, ready to storm on to the greatest payday of their lives.
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