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The title race will heat up

Soccer Laduma

January 15, 2026

As exciting as AFCON has been, there is something special about the return of the Betway Premiership.

Next week’s resumption, starting with Mamelodi Sundowns against Orbit College, feels like a reset button being pressed. Local football has its own rhythm, its own narratives, and its own emotional pull.

Denne historien er fra January 15, 2026-utgaven av Soccer Laduma.

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Soccer Laduma

Can Cele turn things around at Chiefs?

Just under a year ago, Kaizer Chiefs announced the signing of long-term transfer target Thabo Cele from Russian side FC Fakel Voronezh. The midfield-general was supposed to bring added quality and European know-how to the table, even if he had very little experience at international level. After signing midway through last term, Cele was tipped for a big campaign this time around after a full preseason. Instead, we are yet to see the best of him in the 2025/26 campaign and rumours swirl about why he was left in the stands before the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations break. In this feature, we look at the player's stats and ask if his time at the Naturena-based club is set to improve or faces a premature end. What does he bring to the team, and how does he compare to the other engine room options? Soccer Laduma investigates.

4 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

InTouch With...

BONGOLWETHU SIYAZI - UNATTACHED

2 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

I nearly shed a tear...

By the time you read this column, the Africa Cup of Nations finalists would have been finalized as the semi-finals took place before our print deadline on Wednesday

6 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

Are McKenzie and Broos at loggerheads?

Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie went to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and attracted a lot of attention. McKenzie disagreed with Bafana Bafana

2 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

The truth also needs to be told sometimes...

Canada approaching, time is ticking for the striker. In the second part of our interview, the 28-year-old addresses his time away from Bafana Bafana, acknowledging personal growth while maintaining hope for future call-ups. Singh also addresses questions about the possibility of returning to play his football in South Africa.

7 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

World Cup Preparations

McKenzie is already planning for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

1 min

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

That’s the only challenge at Pirates

Orlando

2 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

You learn from failure

South African supporters have been spoilt with good results during Hugo Broos' tenure as Bafana Bafana coach, so expectations were naturally high going into the latest edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, especially after the team finished third in the last competition played in Ivory Coast. The team got past the group stages yet again, but the journey ended in the Last 16 with a defeat to Cameroon. Since then, a lot has been said about the national team and there have been some calls, from both supporters and former players, for Broos to be relieved of his duties, but with the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, would that be the right move? Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane spoke to Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Ricardo Goss to talk about AFCON and where it went wrong for Bafana.

5 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

Paying his own way to AFCON

The biggest revelation from McKenzie’s Morocco trip was his decision to pay his own expenses after going on personal leave.

1 mins

January 15, 2026

Soccer Laduma

I took that as a wake-up call

Just last season, Athini Magokolo was playing his football in the Eastern Cape ABC Motsepe League, and a few months later the winger is making his mark in the top-flight of South African football. The 21-year-old winger joined AmaZulu FC at the beginning of the season from JDR Stars FC and has already scored four goals in 10 matches across all competitions. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Siya Gijana, Maqokolo opens up about his promising Betway Premiership debut season, sensational performances, transfer hiccup, how he plans to escape bad habits which destroyed the careers of past football players and more.

8 mins

January 15, 2026