14 Things Oscar Pistorius coverage can teach you about Working in TV news

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Lions Have to Work Hard to Escape a Shark Attack for Currie Cup Final

Musa Nombona
@MuserThe1st

It’s been 12 years since the Lions have won the Currie Cup and at this stage all the odds seem to be against the lads from Johannesburg. While experience is not on their side of their players like Spingboks’ Du Plesis brothers, the ”Beast” and Alberts are back for the Shark camp in Durban for the game tomorrow.

Australia Cruises to RWC third place

source: nbcsports.msnbc.com

Musa Nombona

@MuserThe1st

An unbalanced match saw Australia get an easy win over Wales during the 2011 Rugby World Cup third place play off at Eden Park, New Zealand.

The match saw the two sides give a mediocre yet aggressive match. Although this was a consolation prize for the Aussies, the Welsh did not back down as both teams  scored two tries. Australian tries came from inside centre Berrick Barnes and No 8 Ben McCalman.

Australia’s inside centre Berick Barnes and eighth man Ben McCalman both scored conversions  while winger Shane Williams and fullback Leigh Halfpenny scored for the Welsh.

Hayatou's Ousting Needed for a Cleaner CAF

Willie Nemarimela
@willeinstein

African football fans short-changed by current CAF leadership.

In North Africa and the Middle East there have been protest marches, which have led to violent clashes in parts, to oust dictators who have been in power for two decades or more and there are news reports that fighting in Libya has led to the death of Muammar Qaddafi. I think it’s time Cairo had another round of protests – this time outside the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as Issa Hayatou is leading this organisation with an iron fist and doesn’t want to step down despite being in power since 1978. Just like many who rule for a long period of time he's had to avoid much criticism.

Amaglug-glug's Olyimpic Campaign on the Right Footing

Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

The South African under 23 side made the nation proud on Sunday afternoon as they beat Libya 4-2 on the first leg of 2012 London olympic qualifiers.

SJA & TUT Journalism Mentors in Toppieshoek

SANEF Condemns Attacks on Journalists

Arnoth Mabunda

e-TV says news cameraman, Linge Ndabambi, was injured
during recent protests in Ermelo.

The media watchdog, SA National Editors’ Forum,yesterday issued a statement condemning the attack on e-tv cameraman and journalist on Monday. “We are particularly concerned that this is not an isolated incident but points to a growing tendency by some people to vent their frustrations on the media,” the statement reads.

Cameraman, Linge Ndabambi, was reportedly injured by violent protesters at Wesselton, outside Ermelo on Monday. The broadcaster’s satellite van and equipment were severely damaged by the angry protesters who are “allegedly” unhappy about the African National Congress' candidate lists for the local government elections.

TUT Vikings Outclass TUKS Proving They Are Not Varsity Cup Whipping Boys - Supporters Also Held Their Own

TUT mascot, Alex, keeps the crowds
entertained
Photo: http://www.varsitycup.co.za/

After visiting the University of Pretoria for the Varsity Cup match between the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and the University of Pretoria (TUKS) I realised that there is still a lot of segregation at TUKS. Most of those watching the rugby match on Monday night were white and many black students were not interested in this important event as they were playing basketball in the courts behind the rugby stadium.

TUT supporters showed that the university has probably done more to work towards transformation as most of them were black and singing on the sidelines. Those showing their spirit through song were told not to sit on the stands, but stand outside a barricade. This didn’t deter the supports for the TUT Vikings as they continued to sing, shout and dance where they were.

Cracker Expected from Sundowns and Pirates Tonight

Cyril Skosana & Tshepo Ntsoelengoe

Teko Modise will not be wearing his usual black and
white tonight and is expected to be problematic
for his former side.

Tonight South Africans will be treated to a top of the log clash between two giants, Pretoria's Mamelodi Sundowns and Johannesburg's Orlando Pirates.

Pirates will be hosting 'Downs just after they managed to snatch an away victory against Mpumalanga Black Aces. Meanwhile the Mamelodi kings will be at their highest morale when they head to Orlando Stadium after a home win against Platinum Stars this past Sunday.

However Mamelodi Sundowns fans are excited as Teko "navigator" Modise will be making his debut against his former team. Ezimnyama ngenkani (Pirates) lost Modise after a transfer estimated at R18 million.

Viking Fans Real Winners on Monday

Photo: http://www.outdoorphoto.co.za/

The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) may have lost its match against the University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Monday night, but the fans made sure that there was enough entertainment and motivation for the Vikings on Monday night.


The scoreboard was in TUT’s favour for most of the game and suddenly about ten minutes before the final whisle the scoreboard suddenly moved from 23-19 all the way up to 23-33 favouring the University of Johannesburg. Tshwane had many missed opportunities and bizarre passes to UJ players.

Outside the pitch though, on the stands, the match received a bit of the African flavor without the vuvuzela. There was singing that would often be found in football matches and some die-hard rugby fans of the older generation just couldn’t get it. Some of the oldies were pointing and shaking their heads with disapproval, but that didn’t stop the fans from enjoying themselves.

A Year of the Vuvuzela, Phillip & A Busy Political Zoo

Tshepo Tshabalala



The snnual university protest march at the beginning
of the year scared away a few first year students
 as it turned violent with police and extra security personnesl
being called to assist .



It was a year of great achievements, all sorts of animals prowling the political scene, attempts to muzzle the media, striking public servants and Phillip. Nobody has met Phillip but the word on the street says he is on his way to Brazil after his success in South Africa. Oh, and so came 2010 to end after the final whistle of the FIFA world cup saw Spain winning the tournament.



 At the Tshwane University of Technology it was an even more eventful year with an expected student strike right at the beginning of the year. Journalism students were not making it easy in the Soshanguve campus as many of them came with their Model C demands. It was clear that some were scared and fearful and the disruptions saw the journalism department lose at least two students but the rest of them eventually became accustomed to TUT’s ‘traditions’. Those who left were soon to find out that protest marches happen at almost all major universities in the country and the grass is not always greener on the other side.

Thirteen Year Old Wrestles His Way To Germany

Tlaki Baloyi

Thirteen year old Thato Monyeki from Soshanguve is often told that he is a bit too big for his age, but his size is allowing the teenager to travel to Germany on a wrestling trip.

The whole community of Soshanguve and his primary school, Kgotlelelang Primary School, are proud of this young man who beat off many others in various school competitions until he remained victorious at national level before being selected for the competition in Germany.

The German trip will be the first international visit for Thato who says he just loves wrestling because he is better at it than most sporting codes. He also says the sporting code will help him uplift his community and he plans to further promote the unpopular sport in Soshanguve.

Thato also says he doesn’t like celebrity wrestling that is often shown on TV as the sport popularised by the likes of John Cena, The Rock, The Undertaker and many others is more violent than what heis familiar with. He says the wrestling he plays only involves a bit of pushing with no weapons whereas the entertainment he sees on TV is a bit too violent for his liking.

His mother, Andronica Monyeki, says she is happy about this as wrestling will keep his son out of crime and other societal ills in the crime-ridden township.

Despite this the family is still worried about Thato’s spending money in Germany and his primary school had asked all pupils to contribute R2 towards his spending money, but despite all this nothing had been received on Wednesday, 03 November 2010.

Lights Out For TUT As UJ Takes USSA Title

Cyril Skosana



UJ celebrates as they dominate TUT


There was poor lighting at the Bid-Vest Wits University Stadium when the University of Johannesburg met up with the Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve football team on Tuesday evening. The match scheduled to start at 08:30 kicked off three quarters of an hour later because as the lights went off at the scheduled start of the match.

Once the lighting problem was sorted out then it was off to a cracker of a match which was entirely dominated by UJ as they went on to win 2-0 in their home territory.

Despite being the stronger of the two sides, UJ struggled to convert most of their opportunities into goals. At half time the score was still sitting at 0-0.

But they seemed to have taken whichever advice given to them by the coach in the change rooms as they came back to score their first goal within 10 minutes into the second half.

Both sides congratulate each other as they
progress to national competition

Thereafter TUT came back with into the game and they seemed to have been taking control but the goals were just not coming their way. Instead it was UJ that scored their second goal. Surprisingly the Pretoria team had massive support which seemed to have been giving the boys a bit of a boost.

Despite not winning the TUT team has already qualified for the main tournament to be held in Grahamstown in December.

TUT Football Team Heading To National University Competition With A Match To Spare

Cyril Skosana



The coach says they need to stay fit for competition.

The Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve campus has beaten the University of Pretoria’s (TUKS) football team 2-1 in an entertaining clash that saw both sides showing a lot of skill.

TUKS dominated the match which saw them getting the first goal of the evening. But just as their guard was down, TUT came back to win the Gauteng Football League match.

The win has secured TUT a place in the national universities tournament to start in Grahamstown on 06 December 2010. Despite qualifying for the big tournament the team still has one more game left against the University of Johannesburg and coach says that match is also important.

“Even if we already qualified for the big tournament to be held in Grahamanstown, we will still play our final with commitment to win it, we will therefore use all the strength that we have,” explained coach, Demana S. Connie Madima.

The TUT team will be one of three from the Gauteng province to compete in the South African Sports Universities organised tournament in Grahamstown. Three teams from each province participate in the tournament.

The coach says she does not really have big plans for the December competition except to keep the team fit and keep the area on the football map.

In 2009 TUT came fourth in the national tournament.

Soweto Derby Has No Spark Anymore

Selahle Mokwena

I remember the days when the Soweto Derby used to be worth talking about. The current crop of players we see these days seem as if they were taken from the fields before bearing fruit. The match between the two supposedly biggest teams in South Africa has become like any other match often ending goal less or at times one of the two just manages to score one goal. Watching the two sides against each other is often a waste of a Saturday afternoon.

Some say the introduction of fat pay cheques is the reason behind the poor showing of both Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. I don’t believe money should be an issue here because the players of yesteryear were paid much less but they still showed unbelievable dedication. If a person who doesn’t have much to play for shows a lot of resilience then one would expect that the new breed of players with a couple of zeros on their pay slips would play a lot better as they want to get even more zeros there. But that does not seem to be the case with the teams that enjoy the best support in South Africa.

I think some players prioritise other things over football. Take a player like Teko Modise for instance. He is often on television to the point that I am starting to believe he has no time to be at his football training. He would obviously have to be given time off to shoot television commercials for the various brands he is promoting.

With this one can safely conclude that the Soweto Derby has lost its old spark. While pride of the team is still important, footballers are now playing for money above all else.

I would however tell you not to be discouraged to watch this weekend’s derby in the MTN8 quarterfinals at FNB Stadium.It could be something worth talking about on Sunday while having breakfast or on your way to get or beg for one or two to get rid of that hangover.

Run And Walk Against Alcohol And Drug Abuse

A Forgettable World Cup Experience

Thabiso Sihlali

I knew that the world cup was coming to South Africa for six years. I was in primary school when it was announced but didn’t feel any hype around it at the time.

Time passed and so did the years and the six years building up to 2010 seemed very normal to me. It did not feel like South Africa was to host a significant event on international importance.

Tickets went on sale and I too received some, but I still didn’t think I was about to be part of an experience that would change some people’s lives.

All that led to the night of an all important game that I would remember for the rest of my life.

It was a cold night in the Loftus Versfeld stadium where temperatures dropped below freezing point. The stadium was packed and everyone was still high on Bafana’s draw against Mexico. Everyone thought this would be in the bag. But it wasn’t to be as the host nation lost three goals to nil to Uruguay.

An hour before kickoff vuvuzelas were blowing so hard you wouldn’t hear yourself sneeze in that cold. I had so much hope that the atmosphere would last. But as the whistle to start the game was blown the stadium went dead quiet.

Then Diego Forlan of Uruguay drew the first blood with a shot out of nowhere. It felt like I was watching a golf Tournament where the crowd waiting in anticipation for Tiger Wood to make his final shot to win the US Masters. Then I thought Bafana would score and the mood would change back to the vuvuzelas that we heard before kickoff.

This dull mood lasted unfortunately. It lasted the whole game until I stood up and left the stadium as I was cold and had realised that no miracle was going to happen here. The ‘Once In Lifetime’ or ‘Part Of History’ moment ended before it even started for me.

I can surely admit it was one night to forget in terms of historical moments in my life
Nothing excited me that much about the day. That sums up my world cup experience.

Bafana Needs New Strategy

Jane Ndlovu

Now that the cheers and laughter of people are over after a magnificent world cup tournament, what does the future hold for our national team?

All eyes were on them since the country was selected to host the tournament back in 2004. Some say Bafana Bafana played well, but I believe they ridiculed all South Africans by making history of being the first host team to be knocked out before reaching the second stage of the tournament.

I am bewildered by the incessant trend and manner in which our national football team plays the game. South African footballers lack experience and cannot stand the pressure of the world cup. There are always new players experiencing the world cup for the first time in each and every world cup tournament.

I profusely shift the blame to the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) for the ordeal that this country is currently facing. It is beyond peculiar to me that the two football organisations are too laid-back about the matter. Their sluggishness is really is taking its toll on football as a career in this country. SAFA, in conjunction with PSL need to join forces and hunt for talented footballers.

There is also a lack of development in poor and rural communities are often ignored. This is because such areas are often far from major cities. Some good players might even be ignored as a result of a lack of contacts as nepotism is a major problem in South Africa.

Pitso Mosimane has been appointed national coach. I guess congratulations are in order.

Appointing a local coach might not be the answer though. Foreign coaches are not the only ones who ‘fail’ Bafana Bafana. Our national team needs to be moulded and sharpened to stand against any tempest. At least 60% of players who participated in the Fifa World Cup in the Bafana Bafana squad need to be accompanied by the other 40% of players who were ‘hunted’ for the next world cup.

This country will be void of complaints and grief if we have a lot of alternatives and strikers in the ‘storeroom’. Instead of sitting back and getting big fat cheques, SAFA and PSL members need to get out of their comfort zones and start working seriously. Unless something is done and new measures are implemented on Bafana Bafana we South Africans will forever be wailing. We have had enough of being let down and brokenhearted by the national soccer team. Ahg!

War of Words with Ndaedzo Nethonzhe

Tshepo Tshabalala

So came another exciting evening of debate organised by Cool Politics. The venue, the intimate Kaldi’s Coffee and this time around, the guest speaker was Kaya FM journalist and former TUT graduate, Ndaedzo Nethonzhe.

As always the evening began with live music from up and coming artists. This time around we were dazzled by the sounds of Edd and Adam van Veen (from Our Heritage) and Bongiziwe and the Fridge, but this time Bongiziwe was without the fridge. Nevertheless he did not disappoint but instead he put on a performance that had most people chanting for more at the end of his set.

The topic for the evening was about the future of South Africa after the World Cup. We talked about the impact the World Cup has had on the country; negative and positive, our expectations from government now that it is all over and what the World Cup has meant for our country. Ndaedzo opened the floor by asking about our experiences during the world cup. For many in the room, we concurred that we as South Africans were great hosts and we put on a spectacular show. There were many positive reports about the country, both from international and local media. Bronwyn of Cool Politics commented by saying that the World Cup showed us that our government, that has been in power since 1994, has the capacity to deliver what they have promised. They showed this by putting together a great world cup, within the deadline that was given by FIFA. One needs to ask the question, if the government could render such world class service, from infrastructure, tourism, security etc because the whole world had their eyes on them… will they be able to maintain the excellence they have displayed without the pressure from Fifa and the rest of the world? Will they remain loyal to their own people who put them in power?

We surfed on the motto ‘Alive with possibility’ by hosting a World Cup set on tight deadlines, why can’t the same government that built great stadiums, build houses and schools of the same caliber as the stadiums, to the poor people of this country. It is believed that the country received an amount of R93 billion from Fifa, of which is not the profit but has to cover the debts from constructing stadiums, roadworks and other major developments that were made from the World Cup. Ndaedzo truly believes that whatever the profit South Africa makes from Fifa, 60% of that money should be spent on education. He believes that the ‘1 Goal’ initiative that was advertised throughout the soccer spectacle will not benefit anyone. “A great PR exercise” is what he called it.

“South Africa needs to reach a point where we move to a phase where we want to be”, said Ndaedzo. We need to think and act like a developed country. A war of words erupted when the debate touched on the recent Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in the country. The floor seemed to be split between those who believed that the government has handled these threats exceptionally well and those who argued that our government is far too reactive. They wait for problems to spiral out of control first before they take action.

The evening came to an end with many unhappy and unsatisfied debaters. This showed that there needs to be dialogue at the very bottom to work on the challenges we face as a nation and how we can move forward. There is a need to teach the nation on how to use the media to their advantage and to become a ‘no-nonsense’ type of a society.

Waving Flags With K’naan And The World Cup Trophy

Thabiso Sihlali & Neo Manganye

We often hear that the early bird catches the worm and that proved to be true on Wednesday when the world cup trophy arrived at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve campus. We woke up early just so we could be there before eight in the morning. This was on a day when we didn’t have any classes. And thank goodness we did because we got to experience what those who came late didn’t and most never will.

Arriving early allowed us to get our passes to get to at least touch the glass that was protecting the trophy. It allowed us to take a photograph with the trophy. Yesterday was one piece of history we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

It’s a good thing that we didn’t leave early either. Most people who had seen the trophy complained about the chaos that started later in the day with the masses turning up. We decided to soak in the atmosphere though and stay to socialise with the crowds.

Then something totally unexpected happened. Somali musician, K’naan, arrived to perform his massive international hit Waving Flag, Coca Cola’s official world cup song for the 2010 football world cup.

Everything was great man and it was amazing seeing people of all ages from pre-school children to old people having a great time. Now let the games begin.

Check out K'naan's Wavin flag at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxmEd9lcn0k&feature=related