Stunning video of former Ghana midfielder learning the Zulu dance in South Africa drops
Football
Located in the larger Suburban region of Johannesburg in the metropolitan municipality of Ekurhuleni- meaning a place of peace is Sekhukhune United, a team making headlines with its dramatic rise to South Africa's top League.
With Sekhukhune United's rise being nothing short of spectacular, join us as we discuss who some of the players behind its success and other things like the owner, its coach, their stadium, the trophies it has won so far, world rankings, and much more.
Stunning video of former Ghana midfielder learning the Zulu dance in South Africa drops
FootballHaving launched in 2020, saying the team is new is somewhat an understatement, for the team is packed with industry veterans. Sekhukhune United was spun off from then Africa All-Stars FC, which the owners had bought in 2019.
At the time of the purchase, Africa All-stars were campaigning in the ABC Motsepe League, a third-tier division League in South Africa.
When the opportunity presented itself, the team bought the status of Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila F.C. (TTM FC) to compete in the GladAfrica Championship side. TTM FC, in turn, had purchased a status to compete in the Dstv Premiership.
The team started its campaign in the GladAfrica Championship under the new name against Royal AM FC on 28 November 2020.
One cannot mention Sekhukhune United without mentioning its owners, for the team's story is centred around its owners. With a rags to riches story, the two brothers Hlabisi Simon Malatji (the eldest) and Jonas Narekeng Malatji, left their hometown of Sekhukhune, Limpopo, for greener pastures.
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CricketAfter doing odd jobs in the Northwest part of South Africa with Jonas being a security guard at one time, the brothers started their security training centre in the 1990s in Johannesburg.
There was no hope. All we had was a dream. Said Jonas.
The brothers entered into the football space, not for profit-making but to change the people's lives in their community.
The team plays its home matches from Makhulong Stadium, located in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni Municipality. If one is wondering why a Limpopo club is based in the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, well, because no facilities in Sekhukhune could meet South Africa's PSL requirement.
The brothers have an ambitious plan to build a state of the art club headquarters and training facility in their village.
The team is also referred to as Babina Noko, a phrase from the Pedi people, a subtribe of the Sotho-Tswana group. The team also prides itself as the first representing the Pedi tribe or Bapedi as they are sometimes referred to.
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FootballBelow is Sekhukhune United's squad that won the recently concluded GladAfrica 2020/21 Championship and the currently ongoing 2021/22 Dstv Premiership.
Currently, Sekhukhune United's captain is Rowen Van Vuuren. The goalkeeper joined the team from Highland Park FC in August 2021.
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FootballSince its inception, the team has only had two coaches, and at the moment, the coach is MacDonald Makhubedu, who took over from Johnny Ferreira, who was promoted to be the team's director of football.
Being a relatively new team and to the National football alike, Babina Noko has impressed critics and fans alike with its stellar performance.
Despite getting into the GladAfrica Championship without merit, the team won the tournament in a record-breaking one season. They bagged the tournament trophy by winning a case against South Africa's PSL in a disputed match result.
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FootballThis eventually put them on top of the fixture table when the season ended, becoming the winners. They were automatically promoted to the Dstv Premiership for the 2021/22 season as the championship winners.
With some of the most sought after players, selling merchandise and tickets etcetera, the team has amassed a market value of approximately $7 million.
Due to its popularity, the team has built a strong brand presence online in a short period. The teams official Instagram account has over 22k followers, while their official Twitter handle has over 18k followers. Facebook is the platform where they have the most followers totalling over 64k as of February 2022.
According to sources the team has a world wanking of 1244. They stand at 167 in Africa and 14th in South Africa.
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FootballThe come up may be sudden, but Sekhukhune United and their players are here to stay because they have proved their worth against the League's most seasoned teams. We can confidently say in 2022 this is a team to watch out for.
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