Tzaneen coach lifts African Cup of Nations trophy
Amajita secured a hard-fought 1–0 win over Morocco in the final, held in Egypt on Sunday night, May 18.
Mdaka, who hails from Mokgwathi village in Bolobedu and now resides in Nkowankowa, has etched his name into the history books by guiding the team to become the first South African soccer side to lift the Afcon u/20 title.
Reflecting on the win, Mdaka said the achievement goes beyond football; it symbolises belief, perseverance, and the power of opportunity.
'This trophy belongs to every young dreamer who dares to chase greatness, and to every community that nurtures those dreams. To the players, staff, families, and supporters, thank you. Let's keep building, inspiring, and empowering,' he said.
This marks the second major title for Mdaka and his young squad. In October last year, he also led Amajita to victory in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup held in Mozambique.
In recognition of his contributions to sport, Mdaka was honored in January with the MEC of Sport, Arts and Culture Award during the Limpopo Sports Awards.
Greater Tzaneen Municipality Mayor Gerson Molapisane praised the coach's outstanding leadership and extended his congratulations.
'We are incredibly proud of coach Mdaka's exceptional guidance and the determination displayed by Amajita throughout the tournament. This victory is proof of what can be accomplished through discipline, teamwork, and resilience,' the mayor said, adding that the community is eagerly awaiting Mdaka's return to Tzaneen to celebrate the milestone.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Dricus du Plessis booed by crowd ahead of UFC 319 fight
Reigning Middleweight World Champion Dricus du Plessis has shaken off the boos of a hostile crowd ahead of his fight against Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC 319 event on Saturday, 16 August. The 31-year-old South African will defend his title against his Russian opponent at the United Centre in Chicago. Last January, the Pretoria MMA fighter beat the US's Sean Strickland in a split decision to win the coveted title. A few months later, in August, he defended it against Nigerian-born fighter Israel 'Izzy' Adesanya, whom he beat via submission. Earlier this year, in February, he beat Strickland again in a rematch. On Thursday, 14 August, Dricus du Pless and Khamzat Chimaev made their appearance at a press conference ahead of their UFC 319 main event fight. Dricus – considered the underdog – was asked about his state of mind going up against the Russian fighter, who has been undefeated in his last 14 matches. The crowd consisted of fans of his opponent, who loudly booed the South African. Dricus casually stated, 'I've walked into every fight, especially as the main event, and heard this from the crowd. But guess what? I walked out the best every single time Addressing the hostile crowd, he added, 'That was one of the best boos I've heard. Well done. You'll run out of steam quickly, don't worry. I've seen this before. Remember this on Saturday.' Dricus du Plessis revealed that he was unfazed about going up against an undefeated MMA fighter. He continued: 'I'm the world champion. He hasn't fought a world champion. He's fought a former world champion, but he hasn't fought a world champion. 'Now he's coming into this fight for five rounds. I've proven that I can go crazy for one round, or I can go crazy for five rounds.' Praising his opponent, Dricus added of Khamzat Chimaev: 'He is an incredible fighter. 'Nobody's been able to beat him. It's only 14 fights, but being a title challenger in the UFC, and no one's been able to figure him out, that's impressive'. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
Victory against Chimaev is no different to any of my preceding victories, says Du Plessis
Dricus du Plessis aims to prove his status as the Greatest Of All Time in the UFC Middleweight division as he faces Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. | AFP The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Dricus du Plessis, emphasised that beating the number three-ranked middleweight fighter Khamzat Chimaev will carry the same weight as beating any of his opponents in the UFC thus far, despite Chimaev being highly rated. Du Plessis will face Chimaev at UFC 319 in Chicago in the early hours on Sunday morning (South African time), a fighter that many consider to be "The boogeyman" of the UFC. Because of the dominant nature of the majority of Chimaev's victories in the UFC, coupled with his unbeaten record in his career, many fighters fear him, making him one of the highly rated fighters that the South African has faced in his career. However, despite all the aforementioned reasons, Du Plessis made it clear that beating Chimaev does not carry any more weight than beating Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland or any of his opponents in the UFC. The trash talk king added that Chimaev has been respectful to him, a feat that contributed in the lack of trash talk or banter in the pre-fight press conference on Friday. "This will mean for me exactly what it meant to beat every other guy before this. It's not about the opponent, it's not about who I face, it's about defending this belt every time somebody steps up to try and take it from me. That's all that matters to me," said Du Plessis. "This is the first time meeting him this week. I don't know the man. He seems respectful up until now, that's why there's no trash talk."
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
'I can't save him,' says Gavin Hunt as bad boy Mahlambi pops up at Durban City
Phakamani Mahlambi (left) and Coach Gavin Hunt (right) during their last stint together at Chippa United. Image: BACKPAGEPIX Phakamani Mahlambi has resurfaced in the Betway Premiership, with Durban City FC handing the troubled forward a trial as he looks to rescue a career that once promised to light up South African football. The 27-year-old has been without a club for nearly four years, his last top-flight appearance coming in September 2021 for Chippa United. That outing — a second-half cameo in a 2-1 defeat to Stellenbosch FC — ended with a torn Achilles tendon, cutting short his season and sparking a long spell on the sidelines. For Mahlambi, whose raw pace and flair once made him the country's most exciting young attacker, the fall from grace has been steep. His professional debut came under Gavin Hunt at Bidvest Wits in the 2015/16 season, and within two years, he was securing a dream move to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. But his time in North Africa lasted just one season before returning home to join Mamelodi Sundowns. I respect Coach Gavin Hunt for a lot of things, but I respect him more for what he has done for Phakamani Mahlambi. I saw today that Phaka is being assessed by the Technical Team at Durban City FC, even if he doesn't make it but I know even himself deep down he'll know that Coach… — MIGUEL'S_BÔL (@KM_Khanyee) August 14, 2025 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Game time was scarce at Chloorkop, leading to a loan move to Chippa United in 2021 — where he linked up again with Hunt. Injuries, discipline issues, and inconsistency meant that momentum was never sustained. He nearly reunited with Hunt a third time at SuperSport United after a trial stint but never signed. Now, the pair find themselves together again at newly promoted Durban City, with the coach offering him a final platform to prove his worth. 'I can't revive him, he's got to revive himself, I can only give him the platform,' Hunt said after Durban City's 1-0 win over Chippa United at Chatsworth Stadium on Wednesday. 'He's like any football player — I give the platform, the opportunity, but he's young. I mean, he was the brightest talent in South Africa, wasn't he? "Talent alone is NOT good enough...!!!" So what happened with Phakamani Mahlambi @Masandawana?? Coach @coach_rulani breaks it down on #MarawaMoments Full interview: — robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) November 24, 2020
