Latest news with #Mntambo
IOL News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Sekhukhune United captain Linda Mntambo eyes MTN8 glory
LINDA Mntambo was reluctant to spell it out, but the captain of Sekhukhune United clearly believes that this could be the year they win the club their maiden trophy, and his confidence is not without basis. After all, Ba Bina Noko are coached by a man who knows how to win silverware in Eric Tinkler. And as he looked ahead to Saturday evening's (6pm kick-off) MTN8 first round clash against TS Galaxy at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, Mntambo exuded confidence that they could be the 'Last Team Standing'. He was initially cautious and spoke about progression past the initial round as their objective given they'd not done so in their previous two appearances. 'This is our third season (playing) in the MTN8 and we never got past the first hurdle, so we just have to go past it and get more games under our belts because the semi-final is two-legged. We must just keep focused and keep doing what we have been doing.' The former Orlando Pirates midfielder was asked if he doesn't have ambitions to try and win it. 'Look, every team in it wants to win it. Our focus is on the job at hand – beating Galaxy and getting past the first hurdle. But yeah, for sure we want to win a trophy or two as players so we can write our names in the history books of the club.' And it is also a personal ambition of his to lead the club to cup glory. 'It would be nice as captain, I would love to lift the trophy, cement my name – not as a legend – but as the one to have brought a (first) trophy to the club. "But we are not putting ourselves under pressure, although there are incentives and bonuses with the R10m prize money. We are at doing it and hopefully we are fortunate to get to the final and lift the trophy.' They have in Tinkler a coach who knows how to win the MTN8 trophy, local football's famous ginger coach having done so with SuperSport United. Mntambo sees the man who has previously been in charge of Pirates and Cape Town City as their talisman. 'The coach asked us if we want it and as players we were in agreement that we want it for ourselves, our families and our careers. We want to win silverware. And the fact that the coach has won it, yeah, and also we've got a number of players who have won this trophy. "Miguel Timm won it with Pirates and Bradley Grobler with SuperSport and Thabang Monare also. And I have won it too, so we know the feeling. It is the first competition of the season and it takes just three games (to win it). So let's get past the first hurdle and go on to win it.' Besides motivating them into dreaming big, Mntambo says Tinkler has also upped their game. 'Coach Eric pays attention to the small, finer details. He is invested in his work and prepares a lot and he he also demands a lot from us at training. He helps us improve individually and also as a club. "He is always pushing us to play to the best of our abilities. He knows how to win trophies and hopefully he will help us get some silverware.' For that to happen in the MTN8 though, Sekhukhune United must do something they'd never done in the competition. Go past the first round by beating TS Galaxy this evening. Linda Mntambo believes they can do that.
TimesLIVE
23-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Linda Mntambo hopes Sipho Mbule will turn the corner at Pirates
Sekhukhune United skipper Linda 'Figo' Mntambo has urged his former teammate Sipho Mbule to 'take care' of himself at new club Orlando Pirates. Mbule, who has a had disciplinary run-ins for off-field issues, joined Pirates as a free agent a few weeks ago after Mamelodi Sundowns decided against renewing his contract. The 27-year-old born in Bethlehem in the Free State spent last season on loan at Sekhukhune, where the skilled midfield maestro showed flashes of brilliance, but it was his alleged wayward behaviour that saw him make headlines. No Orlando Pirates fan will scroll past this without dropping a like for the master chef. Sipho Mbule! 👌👌👌 — STAR. (@makwande_m) July 12, 2025 'I've only congratulated him, wished him well. He's a good footballer. I am a fan of his talent and what he's capable of doing,' said Mntambo, who spent three years at Pirates before joining Sekhukhune in 2022. 'Hopefully he gets to Pirates and takes care of himself. I want to see him winning. 'Before he joined Sekhukhune, he told me he wanted to come over and I told him the team was the best platform for him to shine. Unfortunately, things didn't go well for him here, but I hope he does well at Pirates. Don't Press Sipho Mbule Sphola Master Chef 🤣 — Coach Sphe🏴☠️🏴☠️ (@SpheleleZN) July 19, 2025 'He must repay the people who'd pay any amount of money to watch him, like me.' Mntambo also weighed in on Sekhukhune's ambitions in the 2025-26 campaign, revealing they have set their sights on winning a trophy or two and are also aiming to hit the 50-point mark in the league. 'We can't wait for the start of the season. It's about time we win a trophy or two. When I arrived here in 2022, the mandate was clear: finish better than the previous season, and we achieved that by finishing seventh [in the 2022-23 Premiership] to qualify for the top eight for the first time. 'In my second season, we finished fourth and last season we finished fourth again. This season we aim to get to the 50-point mark and see how far that would take us.'
IOL News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Mntambo talks titles, progress and new faces as Sekhukhune United aim higher
Sekhukhune United captain Linda Mntambo believes the club has grown past its underdog status and is now ready to challenge for major honours, as Babina Noko gear up for what promises to be their most ambitious season yet. Speaking during the club's official launch of their new kit and sponsor on Monday, Mntambo reflected on his journey since joining the side in 2022 and detailed how the expectations have grown year by year. 'When I arrived at the club in 2022, the mandate was very clear — we do better than what we did last season,' said the skipper. 'We finished seventh then and it was our first time in the top eight.' From there, the rise has been steady and strategic. In the 2023/24 campaign, Sekhukhune not only finished fourth in the Premiership but also reached the Nedbank Cup final and earned the right to represent South Africa in intercontinental competition. They followed that up with another fourth-place finish last season, but according to Mntambo, the improvement lies in the details.
The Citizen
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Mercedes-Benz halts production in Eastern Cape – Will employees be paid?
The US is a significant customer for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars manufactured in East London. The current C-Class range has been built in East London since 2021 for the local market and export. Picture: iStock Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) has labelled the suspension of production in the Eastern Cape as a 'standard procedure'. However, employees will not have downtime during the period and will be compensated. Thato Mntambo, the company's General Manager for Corporate Affairs, told The Citizen that production will be stopped from 24 June 2025 to 30 July 2025, as the plant will undergo a planned non-production period. 'An annual non-production period at the East London production plant is standard procedure, and it is common cause for production plants to suspend production based on volume adjustments in the production programme.' What will happen to Mercedes-Benz employees? The East London plant employs 2 500 people, and it is understood that many of them will undergo training and upskilling programmes during the period. 'Employees of MBSA have also been appraised and will be undertaking a variety of training and upskilling programmes during the period and compensated based on the provisions of the collective bargaining agreements of the National Bargaining Forum (NBF),' said Mntambo. ALSO READ: Concern about auto industry jobs Did the US's 25% tariff play a part? Mercedes-Benz South Africa stated that the 25% tariff on imported cars announced by US President Donald Trump played no role in the company's decision to halt production. 'We are continuously assessing the impact of the US tariffs introduced. We kindly ask you for your understanding that we won't comment further,' said Mntambo. The US is a significant customer for C-Class cars manufactured in East London. The current C-Class range has been built in East London since 2021 for the local market and export. Retrenchments at the plant The news of production being halted comes a year after Mercedes-Benz retrenched 700 employees in the province. Employees were left stranded as MBSA announced its intention to reduce production from three daily shifts to two due to declining global demand for its C-Class sedan. More than 90% of the East London plant's output was for export, mainly to Europe, Asia and North America. NOW READ: Tyre giant hits the brakes: Numsa laments Goodyear closure affecting 900 jobs
TimesLIVE
12-06-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Linda Mntambo's plea to Sipho Mbule
Mntambo, the experienced, 36-year-old midfielder who has been a model of consistency over a long career, also spoke passionately about his early days in amateur football in Soweto before he joined Jomo Cosmos where he cut his teeth in professional football. His career then took him to Chippa United and Orlando Pirates before joining Sekhukhune in mid-2022. For most of his career, Mntambo has been captain of the sides that he has played for and he discusses his leadership style and how he navigated around leading some difficult personalities in a team environment. Over the past few seasons, Mamelodi Sundowns have dominated the Betway Premiership with eight successive titles. Mntambo believes consistent Sekhukhune — top-half finishers in three of their four seasons since being promoted in 2021, and fourth-placed finishers in the last two campaigns — can be among the teams to challenge the Brazilians.
