Setumo Stone

There were the great, and the greatest. And then there were those who moulded their success. The history of boxing is very rich and littered with inspirational stories. Yet so little has been told. It is an honour for me, today, to tell the story of Derrick Phetoe for reasons to be apparent at a […]

Very often, in my experience, it is quite difficult to comment on sports and race issues without appearing to be offensive or over-generalising. It is indeed disheartening when one gets the impression that the black and white people of this country seem to “prefer” to live in different sporting worlds, with a few liberals sprinkled […]

A grouped of 800+ volunteers cheered as the passionate expression behind the words sunk in. “Of all the host cities for the Fifa 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup, Rustenburg is the only one with its stadium located right at the heart of a typical SA semi-rural settlement, in Phokeng village,” said Nketu Matima, […]

One of the questions I was asked during the Fifa Local Organising Committee’s interviews for media volunteers was about my motivation for applying to participate in the Confederations Cup. I was very honest in my response in that I saw the occasion as an opportunity to prove Afro-pessimists wrong. It was therefore heartening to note […]

Of primary importance to anyone about to venture into “new territory” is an element of “expectation”. Fifteen Fifa Local Organising Committee media volunteers in one room! What exactly do they “expect” to gain out of this experience? This question was posed as we commenced with the volunteers’ workshop, albeit in a different manner. The standard […]

For an oke who usually goes to the stadium to scream my lungs out from the stands while giving unsolicited coaching instructions, the match between Bafana Bafana and Norway was a completely “unique” experience. For the first time I had to watch a football match from the perspective of an “organiser”, rather than a “spectator”. […]

What I expected to be an ordinary interview as a volunteer for SA’s FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 turned into a mouthwatering drink from a cultural melting pot – yes, the one that makes South Africans the unique bunch they are. Our anticipated visitor will experience a new level of humanity (or lack thereof) and interesting […]

Disclaimer: This blog is not about the hatred, dislike or favoritism of any team. It is purely about the “psychological” aspects of playing against Chiefs, reflecting on the MTN8 cup final. There can be no denying that Kaizer Chiefs is arguably the most successful team in South African football. On Tuesday night they scraped yet […]

Back in June this year, I wrote an article titled “Do white South Africans hate local soccer?” Little did I know that Essop Pahad would be castigated for expressing the same sentiment, but in a different way. The responses to the above-mentioned article argued passionately that the situation was more complicated and probably complex that […]

Fifty-three fouls … 12 yellow cards … two red cards … this is not football, it’s war! Human beings are by nature generally known to be resistant to change. Who would have known (10 years ago) that by now homosexuality would be legislated and protected? Maybe not Jon Qwelane, but such is the reality of […]

It would not be unfair to say that a boxing match between Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki would have been far more exciting than watching Bafana Bafana against Australia. While both politicians cannot be said to be world-class boxers, the anticipation that the village lad might just pull his trademark Polokwane knockout punch is much […]

Mamelodi Sundowns are again involved in a vicious media battle with one of the country’s football governing bodies. The confrontation — between the team and SAFA (South African Football Association) — is around Katlego Mphela, whom Sundowns’ doctor declared injured and unfit to travel for Bafana Bafana’s friendly game against Australia, while SAFA’s doctor declared […]