Marked for Teboho Mkhize
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad11 Oct 2027
Siyabonga Makhoba damages knee ligaments — 52 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 52 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The terraces11 Oct 2027
The mood at Jomo Cosmos has turned into something else
Supporters who sing when it goes badly are supporters. Supporters who gather afterwards are a problem, and everybody inside the building knows which of the two this now is.
Squad11 Oct 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Jomo Cosmos this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
The dugout11 Oct 2027
Sifiso Nkosi gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Squad11 Oct 2027
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and Jomo Cosmos will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match2 Oct 2027
28 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Match2 Oct 2027
15 matches, two or more conceded in every one of them. Sides that create as much as this can live with it for a while. Nobody lives with it forever.
Squad4 Oct 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Siyabonga Makhoba
59 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Jomo Cosmos lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 7 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Squad4 Oct 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Judas Moseamedi commits to Jomo Cosmos for another 2 years.
Squad4 Oct 2027
Judas Moseamedi and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match2 Oct 2027
It needed Thabo Nkwana to find the net to bring anything home at all: 2‑2 against Maritzburg United, and half the dressing room will call it a point won.
The dugout4 Oct 2027
The manager’s verdict
“I am frustrated, honestly. We did enough to win and we did not win.” Sifiso Lorch was not hiding it after 2‑2, and nobody in the Jomo Cosmos dressing room was either.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match14 Aug 2027
No end in sight to Jomo Cosmos's wait for a win
21 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Jomo Cosmos has to find a result from somewhere.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Siyabonga Makhoba damages knee ligaments — 112 days out
The words a physio says slowly. 112 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The terraces16 Aug 2027
Anger at Jomo Cosmos spills outside the ground
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Market16 Aug 2027
The unthinkable, invoiced: Gontse Molefe sold
University of Pretoria arrived with $340.0K and left with the best player in the building. The board will call it business; the queue at the ticket office will use other words.
Market16 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Jomo Cosmos, and it is not being withdrawn.
Match14 Aug 2027
No clean sheets in sight for Jomo Cosmos
8 games now with at least two against. The back line has been rearranged, the goalkeeper has been backed publicly, and the goals keep going in anyway.
Squad16 Aug 2027
6 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
The terraces16 Aug 2027
Gontse Molefe has gone, the accounts have $340.0K in them, and the supporters have the feeling of having been sold something themselves. Good business and a good decision are not always the same thing.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
$830.0K on the table at Ajax Cape Town. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market16 Aug 2027
The unthinkable, invoiced: Teboho Mkhize sold
Jomo Cosmos arrived with $66.0K and left with the best player in the building. The board will call it business; the queue at the ticket office will use other words.
Market16 Aug 2027
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Platinum Stars, and it is not being withdrawn.
The terraces16 Aug 2027
Teboho Mkhize has gone, the accounts have $66.0K in them, and the supporters have the feeling of having been sold something themselves. Good business and a good decision are not always the same thing.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Platinum Stars have done the hard part with Polokwane City, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Player ratings16 Aug 2027
A hand in 2 of them from Rivaldo Furman — 7.85
Marked 7.85. There is a kind of forward whose value only shows up when you count what he was involved in rather than what he finished, and this is the day that argument makes itself.
Transfer targets16 Aug 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
The dugout16 Aug 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Evidence Phiri, and the manager let it.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Cebisa Ndlovu was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Match14 Aug 2027
The board was up, the win was priced in, and then Kaizer Chiefs scored. There is no worse minute to concede in and the ground emptied in the silence that follows one.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Jul 2027
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Platinum Stars is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2027
Platinum Stars have gone to SuperSport United with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Thulani Phiri and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Andile Dala was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Transfer targets26 Jul 2027
A loan enquiry to SuperSport United: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
Thulani Phiri knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Platinum Stars, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Denwin Farmer has written the date down.
Squad26 Jul 2027
The shrug has gone, the language is coming, and he now argues in training like somebody who expects to be here next year. Half a signing's value is this and none of it appears on a fee.
The dugout26 Jul 2027
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Lehlohonolo Sepeng has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market12 Jul 2027
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Jomo Cosmos waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Platinum Stars is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Khama Phiri and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
Platinum Stars have gone to SuperSport United with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Squad12 Jul 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Cebisa Ndlovu and Platinum Stars agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad12 Jul 2027
Thulani Phiri falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
The approach was made and the answer came back in a sentence. There is no number on the table because there was no number that would have been enough.
Transfer targets12 Jul 2027
A loan enquiry to Maritzburg United: cover, or a look at somebody the club cannot afford to buy yet. Either way the answer will come back inside the week.
Market12 Jul 2027
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
The dugout12 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Evidence Lorch
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Jun 2027
Teboho Mkhize hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Platinum Stars can pretend not to have heard.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Everything agreed with SuperSport United, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
Squad14 Jun 2027
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Khama Phiri and Platinum Stars agree another 5 years.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
The offer went to SuperSport United this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Squad14 Jun 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Platinum Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Transfer targets14 Jun 2027
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Ajax Cape Town have kept their man, and Platinum Stars go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad14 Jun 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Andile Dala was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout14 Jun 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Andile Dala, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 Jun 2027
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 May 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Teboho Mkhize
19 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Platinum Stars lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad3 May 2027
Thabiso Lebitso was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 May 2027
Words at Platinum Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Andile Dala is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Apr 2027
A knee injury of the worst kind for Teboho Mkhize
27 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Platinum Stars lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
Richard Matloga: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Platinum Stars have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Squad26 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Platinum Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Apr 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Thulani Phiri was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Denwin Farmer
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market26 Apr 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Platinum Stars know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Match26 Apr 2027
Position 6, 46 points, and a run-in that decides whether next season has Thursday nights in it. Nobody is calling it a race yet, which is what people say during one.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Platinum Stars, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The dugout26 Apr 2027
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad19 Apr 2027
34 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Platinum Stars lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad19 Apr 2027
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Platinum Stars this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad19 Apr 2027
Words at Platinum Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Thulani Phiri is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Teboho Mkhize, and the manager let it.
The dugout19 Apr 2027
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Siyanda Khumalo has written the date down.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad21 Dec 2026
A fracture rules Kermit Mahlangu out for 33 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Platinum Stars will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Erick Zwane is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Tapelo Xoki and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Match19 Dec 2026
A 1‑0 win over Kaizer Chiefs, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Words at Platinum Stars training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Evidence Phiri is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Successful dribbles: 17. There is a particular sort of despair on a full-back's face by the seventieth minute, and it was on display.
Player ratings21 Dec 2026
Marked 7.77. Ask anyone leaving the ground what settled it and you will get one name, which is the only award that has ever really counted.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
“That is what I want every week. Not the result, the way they went about it.” The manager, after 1‑0, already talking about the next one.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Somebody else is better right now than Andile Dala
The team sheet says it in public every week until it changes. The only version of being dropped a footballer cannot argue with, and the one he takes hardest.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad16 Nov 2026
A fracture rules Kermit Mahlangu out for 72 days
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Platinum Stars will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Khama Phiri and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad16 Nov 2026
Bradley Jali falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
The dugout16 Nov 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Sidney Mtshweni is on it.
Market16 Nov 2026
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Rivaldo Furman signs something — a contract at Platinum Stars or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.