The Black Aces Herald
Market30 Nov 2026
Themba Mabunda 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 Black Aces can pretend not to have heard.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A falling-out at Black Aces
Thulani Mabaso and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A row about effort at Black Aces
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Williams Dala was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Player ratings30 Nov 2026
Khama Mokoena was unplayable
Successful dribbles: 17. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
A promise honoured for Cohen Stander
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. Black Aces told Cohen Stander something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
Half-satisfied: Dean Mkhize on the draw
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
Sandile Khumalo knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Sandile Khumalo trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad30 Nov 2026
A ban for Thabo Mokwena
One booking too many, and a game watched from the stand. Black Aces lose him for the most avoidable reason in the sport.
The dugout30 Nov 2026
Ethen Sampson left out for tactical reasons at Black Aces
The shape wanted a different profile against this opponent, which is a real football answer and no comfort at all to the man it is about. He did nothing wrong and he did not play.
In brief
- Match Black Aces and Free State Stars cancel each other out
- Looking ahead Mpendulo Ntuli goes back to face Golden Arrows
- Player ratings Ricardo Williams shuts the door