Leading forwards coach Dewald Senekal is excited to be bringing his pioneering Poker Face system to the New England Free Jacks Joining the two-time Major League Rugby champions for the 2025 season the innovative South African will be bringing a decade’s worth of coaching experience to Massachusetts Spending the majority of his post-playing career in France where he helped Grenoble gain promotion back to the Top 14 as joint-head coach and also enjoying time with Bayonne those years of knowledge will now contribute to the Free Jacks’ aim of completing a three-peat The 43-year-old is bringing a method of set-piece defence developed in top-flight European competition and proven to be highly proficient Poker Face came to Senekal in the midst of lockdown while sat on a weekly Zoom call with other leading rugby coaches from around the world Quickly he noticed that while coaches could talk for hours about attacking lineouts and could devise multiple ways to make that set-piece more effective That is when a lightbulb lit up in Senekal’s head “Attacking and defensive lineouts are two things I am incredibly passionate about,” he said “Jonathan Thomas (ex-Wales contact area coach) did a presentation about lineout attack “We had a discussion about what made teams difficult to prepare against “I started to think about how to add another dimension to that That’s when the idea of Poker Face came into play “Quite often the attacking side was so clear and the defending side wasn’t that clear I thought let’s make it clear for everyone about the systems that exist and to know it like a dance “I spent as much time on my lineout defence as I did on my attack that pre-season so that we could walk into a lineout and with one word change systems for everyone to be on the same page “As time went on I wanted to go away from systems Like in chess; you have your classic movements and can only do certain things Law discussion: Was the Stormers’ NFL-inspired try against Zebre Parma legal? “With a poker mindset of counting cards you can analyse where an opposition win the ball and what their trends are “On top of that you play the bluffing game showing them a specific hand and then doing something totally different “Within that I started to grow this whole mentality around changing pictures for your opposition and being really difficult to prepare against with multiple systems we have been able to show different pictures in one game.” The numbers tell the story of just how effective the Poker Face system is Two years coaching Connacht under Andy Friend really allowed Senekal’s vision to become a reality In the 2021/22 season the province finished as the league’s fourth-best defenders of lineouts Honing their Poker Face and continually developing strategies the side were a tricky proposition for whichever opponent they came up against Over the course of the 2022/23 season the Westerners stole a whopping 70 of the 317 lineouts that they defended Next closest to Connacht‘s total was that season’s eventual champions who stole 51 lineouts over the course of that season Niall Murray also enjoyed a season to remember with 19 steals at the lineout the young lock completed 11 more steals than the season before and nine more than Ireland international United Rugby Championship Team of the Week: ‘Monstrous’ Springboks prop shines as South African dominance rewarded Time to tinker with and work out the kinks Senekal took a concept created on a Zoom call in the depths of a global pandemic and established it in elite rugby competition Senekal has poured hours into perfecting lineout defence Now with a move to MLR and the Free Jacks in mind, there is excitement for the South African about bringing his defence system American shores In recent years the set-piece has ruled men’s professional rugby As New England wrapped up their second championship in as many years the club turned to the lineout as a source for 36 of their 65 tries in 2024 Acting as the source for over half of their tries that tally is not even the highest in the competition the Chicago Hounds sourced 42 five-pointers from the lineout while the now defunct Dallas Jackals crossed the whitewash 38 times thanks to their proficiency at the set-piece While scoring from the lineout remains a priority the same can be said for other teams too and makes the importance of keeping opponents out all the more relevant “That’s the thing that gets me excited,” Senekal said “From what I have seen in the last two years people are putting a lot more emphasis on their set-piece in the league and that is where the growth has been “Teams are starting to look for specialist props to keep their scrum in a good position for good hookers to have an effective set-piece and give them the platform to play from “I am excited to see how quickly I can identify the right profiles within our New England squad that can have a role within the system “That system needs explosive jumpers that are good lifters and team men that are there to do their job “For this system to work you need all the profiles “I believe that if I am able to implement the system really quickly we can stress a lot of the teams within the league because of the unpredictability of the system “Today in modern day rugby teams run on around 80 to 85 per cent success rate “A lot of teams don’t put emphasis on lineout defence because they think they are going to win eight out of 10 of their lineouts anyway you can disrupt over 40 per cent of the opposition’s ball.” Senekal will be completing three months with Italian United Rugby Championship side Benetton Joining as a collision and breakdown specialist after a season with Oyonnax Rugby came to an end the 43-year-old has already seen some success with Poker Face In a pre-season match against Harlequins his charges stole eight lineouts Senekal joins the Free Jacks in an off-season of change for the back-to-back MLR champions After beating the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 to retain the Shield Ryan Martin returns to New England after spending a season as head coach in 2021 while Senekal signs on as an assistant coach alongside the incumbent Pom Simona With a series of returning players at their disposal including the league’s Player of the Year the team are hoping to continue building on their title-winning foundations Before even stepping foot in Boston the South African has been enchanted by the team thanks to watching the Proven docuseries and is hotly anticipating the next step of his coaching journey “Quickly I was really seduced by the things I was seeing and hearing,” Senekal said “You could see from the way that the coaches presented to the players and the exchanges between players “The coaches and players were opening up about personal things their backgrounds – when I saw that it was a massive eye-opener to me and told me that this is an environment that has been created where people feel comfortable enough to do that “That is one thing that really stood out to me from the start When you have got a group of people that care about what they stand for and what they want to try and achieve together “It has been impressive to see their growth over the last few years and win two titles “It is the way I coach and have relationships with my players so I felt like the fit was good from the outside looking in.” READ MORE: Loose Pass: Why punishing Michael Cheika does not ‘solve the problem’ and France ‘within their rights’ to make All Blacks tour decision George Coetzee and JJ Senekal set the tone for the Sunshine Tour’s new Courier Guy Playoffs Series as they both opened with rounds of seven-under-par 65 to share the first-round lead in the Serengeti Playoffs on Thursday and with Dylan Naidoo just one shot behind them took advantage of a receptive Serengeti Estates golf course to claim a one-stroke lead in the first tournament of the new Courier Guy Playoffs Series signed for a six-under-par 66 to join Altin van der Merwe the current leader on the Fortress Rookie of the Year standings But while Coetzee and Senekal signed for the same score they were two very different rounds of golf with routine pars a rare commodity on his scorecard then good in the middle and good in the end There were a couple of silly errors through the day but altogether I think it was finally a decent round of golf from my side I’ll just try and build on that,” said Coetzee Coetzee is searching for his first win since 2022 and faced with a strong field and a golf course in pristine condition this week “It’s a bit wet so you can attack the flags with the longer clubs and I think the guys will take advantage of that I obviously paid the price a couple of times but that’s the price you pay for being aggressive.” Senekal’s round was far steadier with eight birdies and only one dropped shot on the par-three 15th It was a strong finish of back-to-back birdies on his last two holes that saw him join the lead so that's an achievement that won't be missed by us but we know we've got three more games to keep building on that." Henry Pollock and his band of brothers pulled off a remarkable heist in Dublin on Leinster to make them believe anything's possible Benetton have announced the appointment of Dewald Senekal as the new breakdown and contact area coach following the departure of Julian Salvi Senekal has an extensive background in professional rugby having played for the Cheetahs After transitioning to coaching in 2015, Senekal has held positions at Bayonne, Grenoble, Stade Français and Connacht before most recently serving as a coach at Oyonnax in the TOP14 Bulls defense coach Jean Tiedt talks about his Varsity Cup experience window.scriptsToInit.push('BrightCoveEmbeddedScrollVideo.init("6359060690112");'); “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to join the team as I have seen the club go from strength to strength over the last 8 years that I have faced them,” said Senekal “I respect all the staff members a lot and I want to learn from them joining one of the best clubs in the URC and in Europe is a great opportunity and I feel very privileged “I hope to settle in quickly with the players I want to be able to quickly add value to the environment by sharing my experience with Marco (Bortolami Benetton general manager Antonio Pavanello said: “Following the departure of Salvi we moved to find a coach who would allow us to continue the path of growth in a delicate and decisive aspect of the game such as the breakdown and more generally the contact area “We have therefore identified in Dewald the most suitable profile to fill this role as well as support to the management of forwards since with his experience both in the URC and in other leagues he will be able to further raise the level of our technical staff.” Nathan Langdon has signed on with Northampton Saints ahead of the 2024/25 season who has proved to be such a big hit at Franklin's Gardens Join free and tell us what you really think Henry Pollock and his band of brothers pulled off a remarkable heist in Dublin on Leinster to make them believe anything's possible Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward And will Joe Schmidt be tempted to stick around for Rugby World Cup 2027 Northampton Saints found a way of beating the fabled Jacques Nienaber blitz and inflicting another 'horrific' Champions Cup loss on the Leinster giants Steven Donald very much in the news these days Whatever blows your skirt up So how many big tournament has Leinster/ Ireland won in the last 6/7 year Even with them being the so called favourites You can’t argue the fact that Irish rugby has an issue when it comes to closing out big games…… as for my team/country we have won more WC’s than Ireland made it past a QF…….Stop making excuses and just except that Irish rugby teams choke and wear that tag proudly……you have earned it! …so you’ve finally given up farting against thunder in the face of overwhelming evidence on how cocksure Leinster fell flat on their arses then?? When I lost $75,000 in bitcoin I found a crypto expert by the name of HACKERONE975 Recovery I was able to find my misplaced cash with the assistance of this HACKERONE975 recovery specialist but I'm happy to report that my bitcoin was found and returned to me after two days If you require assistance recovering your lost bitcoin transactions you should send an email directly to HACKERONE975 Recovery using: hackerone975 @ gmail c om assisted me in recently recovering mine Is that a promise RW There’s quite a few happy to form a guard of (dis)honour on your way out…😉😂 Ive blocked you and I am unblocking you to ask you respectfully to stop replying to my comments and stalking my posts The site does not allow my posts to be invisible I’ve blocked Ed as he has innundated my comments with baseless claims of arrogance against Leinster Ireland and Irish people based on his result Could you (respectfully) ask him to stop doing that I had hoped blocking him would stop him seeing my post but this website does not facilitate that I am happy to leave the site if he persists They earned those home ties Tom Jordan may well be that player The farcical draw for RWC 2023 has been apologized for and acknowledged by World Rugby This doesn’t change the result but does show that it was not a meritocracy A team not good enough to win their pool ended up winning the tournament So are we talking incompetence negligence or arrogance on why it wasn’t addressed before now…?? I’ve blocked that poster so can’t see his comment Can you discuss rugby instead of piling on the insults Yes it must be so so very difficult for poor old Leinster having to make do with their raw and undercooked squad… Cap counts: start+bench international(B&I lions) Thanks for a very interesting article ,Nick be back in the morning to comment a bit more How you fare in tight EPCR matches may come down to what experience you have in tight matches Leinster have a lot less competitive coming from the URC as a top14 team or indeed a Premiership team but many of the weaknesses exploited by Northampton would surely have been shored up with more competitive matches in the lead up I disagree Ireland had as good a chance of any of winning the RWC 2023 Ireland were the only team in the top 4 that had to play a big team the week before the QF (Scotland were then ranked #5) As well as injuring both wingers this took a big dint out of potential preparation for the QF Obviously the ludicrous draw affected Ireland also (as well as France and Scotland) I am sure Ireland would not have chosen NZ as the opposition to break our QF hoodooo NZ were a team full of players with RWC semi final and winners medals Ireland (like France) had a sum total of 0 knock out win caps on the team It was well remarked during the knock outs that if you had to play France the time to play them was the QF before they were up and running Ireland get the QF hoodoo off their backs with a match against (Arg/Wal/Eng/Fiji) they become a much harder proposition for NZ in a semi particularly as the playing fieled would be level with NZ having to focus on a big match the week before as Ireland had to I can’t go on about how incompetent the RWC draw and scheduling has been basically since the inception of the tournament Lets have a fair draw and see how the teams fare So more incompetent or negligent prep rather than arrogance then interesting perspective and definitely worth considering Yeah Bath have some CC growth to do but JVG is a smart operator you only need to look at the meteoric transformation he’s taken them through after so many years of failure and then look forward to his recruits for next year… True but no margin more than 5 points even with Ireland at peak performance so Aussie does undertsand what it needs to do on the field Nobody will want to paly the Blues in the playoffs esp if they get some injured players back DW Usually he’s part of a two-man zone with one of the wings or the FB Both cover one half of field v the kicking game I think it’s one reason why Manie was dropped Put him a backfield with Willie or similar and they can be beat So take the three but if you can see it, I can see it and every man Jack and his dog can see it…?!! Mbali Thethani 24 August 2024 | 9:24Five people killed in head-on collision in Senekal, Free StateRoad Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) officials said the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions on Friday night, when the crash occurred.Free StatePicture: Chris Rowe/Flickr JOHANNESBURG - Five people have died after the vehicles they were travelling in, collided in Senekal in the Free State on Friday night. It is understood the accident took place last on the R707 near Marquard. Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) officials said the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions when the crash occurred. RTMC Spokesperson Simon Zwane said it's not yet clear what caused the accident, but investigations are underway.  "Information received indicates that the vehicles were travelling in different directions when they collided, resulting in the death of two males and three females." Sections At least five people lost their lives in a tragic head-on collision on the R707 between Marquard and Senekal late on Friday The accident involved two sedans—one registered in Lesotho and the other in South Africa—leaving three women and two men dead on the scene According to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring the crash occurred around 21:56 when Marquard police responded to the scene The collision involved a black BMW with Lesotho registration with a male driver and three female passengers All five occupants of the vehicles were declared dead upon the arrival of emergency services Authorities have opened a case of culpable homicide as investigations into the cause of the accident continue The exact circumstances leading to the fatal crash are still unclear and the police are urging anyone who may have lost a relative or who has information about the incident to come forward Further reports indicate that the Free State Emergency Medical Services (EMS) were on the scene to assist This incident adds to a series of deadly accidents in the region which has seen several accidents in recent months The road was temporarily closed to allow emergency services to conduct their operations Motorists are advised to exercise caution when traveling on this route Family members or next of kin seeking information or assistance are encouraged to contact Marquard Station Commander Central News Weekly Edition 069 | Download the latest weekly edition| Top Story: “Former Free State Legislature Deputy Speaker Siswe Mbalo Passes Away” https://www.magzter.com/ZA/Central-News-Pty-Ltd/Central-News/Newspaper/All-Issues Central News also offers Sponsored Editorial Content To place your advert on our platforms (Print Newspaper or Digital Platforms) : Please email : sales@centralnews.co.za For Business Related:business@centralnews.co.za Newsroom:Send your Stories / Media Statements To: newsroom@centralnews.co.za General Info:info@centralnews.co.zaOffice Administrator:admin@centralnews.co.za Whatsapp / Call: 081 495 5487Website: https://www.centralnews.co.za Social Media Platforms (@centralnewsza) : Linkedin and website in this browser for the next time I comment Please check your email and enter your one time pin below:   Open in Gmail Sorry there was an error loading the audio The two men accused of the murder of 21-year-old Brendin Horner on a Free State farm were found not guilty on all charges by the Free State high court on Friday morning Sekola Matlaletsa, 44, and Skwetje Mahlamba, 32 were facing charges of murder, robbery and stock theft in the case. advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The body of the 21-year-old farm manager was discovered on 2 October 2020 Horner’s body was found bound to a fence on the farm where he worked Injuries to the body suggested Horner had been dragged across rough terrain His blood-stained bakkie was later found abandoned on the N5 between Paul Roux and Bethlehem Police arrested Mahlamba and Matlaletsa the day after Horner’s body was discovered, after they had allegedly boasted of attacking a white man while they were drinking in a tavern Daily Maverick previously reported that police had recovered blood-stained clothes in Mahlamba’s house The case sparked racial tensions in the Free State and led to protests by agricultural leaders and community members from Senekal and the surrounding areas outside the Senekal Magistrates’ Court where Mahlamba and Matlaletsa first appeared Read in the Daily Maverick: Police move to quell anger over Senekal farmer’s murder, but political interests threaten to add fuel to the fire Delivering the judgment on Friday in proceedings that were broadcast live on various news channels, Judge President Cagney Musi said there were contradictions and lies in the evidence of state witnesses. advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads “The versions of the witnesses are replete with improbabilities It is impossible to discern a coherent and consistent version from the different testimonies,” said Musi The judge president said that there was insufficient evidence connecting Matlaletsa and Mahlamba to Horner’s murder “None of the accused fingerprints match those found in the bakkie The blood samples that were analysed proved to be blood samples of three persons other than the two accused,” said Musi Matlaletsa and Mahlamba’s cell phone records also indicated that they were not near the crime scene at the relevant time The blood stains identified in the clothes recovered from Mahlamba’s house  “did not match with the blood of the deceased,” said Musi both Matlaletsa and Mahlamba gave alibis to their whereabouts at the time the crime occurred “The only evidence that linked the two accused to the commission of the offences are the purported confessions or admissions made by Matlaletsa in the presence or absence of Mahlamba to various witnesses “The testimonies of the witnesses to the purported confessions or admissions are not only contradictory but paint the accused — especially Matlaletsa — as being a deranged person who was hellbent on telling everyone who cared to listen to him that he committed the murder and robbery,” said Musi the judge president said: “It is clear to me that there is no coherent credible or reliable basis on which the accused can be convicted on [the count of stock theft] — even an attempt to pick any one of the versions as the prosecutor attempted to do obviously fails dismally I have doubt in my mind that the two accused were on that mountain They are both entitled to the benefit thereof and the accused ought to be acquitted on this count as well.” “Both accused are found not guilty and discharged on all counts,” concluded the judge The is a blatact lack of competence by both the police and the NPA Wish Afriforum and Gerrie Nel wil take up this case in their private capacity but my guess is the incompetent police has already wiped all credible evidence under the table Surely they were acquitted on the murder charges and therefore not found to be guilty of murder The state failed to prove that they were guilty which is not the same as proving that they were not guilty This means that the correct judgement is “Acquitted” and not “Not guilty” journalists give the headlines that suit their agenda ' + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text + ' " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title + " " + scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text + " Senekal was once again the scene of tense protests on Friday as the EFF and groups of farmers gathered for the bail hearing of Sekwetje Mahlamba who have been charged with the murder of 21-year-old Brendin Horner on 1 October in Paul Roux A group of about 200 farmers met on the lawn of the Padstal Restaurant on the edge of Senekal on Friday morning and kneeled to pray for an end to violence on farms. The group, a few of whom had firearms on their hips, then rose and sang Die Stem.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads EFF supporters started gathering early in the morning outside the Senekal Magistrates’ Court and party marshals lined the side streets on Van Riebeeck Street to act as a barricade between a group of farmers two blocks away Then a group EFF supporters rounded the block to confront the farmers singing “Kill the Boer” and yelling insults Farmers stand behind a barbed wire fence to avoid a standoff with EFF members as court proceedings continue for the two suspects accused of the murder of farmer Brendin Horner EFF members march down the streets of Senekal as court proceedings continue for the two suspects accused of the murder of farmer Brendin Horner Debbie Els from a group called Stop Farm Murders addressed the group of farmers from a bakkie “We will not be intimidated by a thuggish political party, the EFF. We are saying to them, bring it on. What happens, happens. We know what was said by Malema, the violence instigator-in-chief. We will not be fear-mongered,” said Els, who travelled from Cape Town for the event.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads to try to put an end to farm murders and save our economy,” said Sitho “All farmers and farm workers who are killed by this corrupt government There was a significant police presence in town but they maintained a low profile as barricades of razor wire separated the small group of farmers and about 2,000 people who had gathered to support the EFF who used to be employed to help work with police in rural areas before they were disbanded in the early 2000s and who were wearing their uniforms formed a line next to the razor wire as EFF leaders addressed the party on a truck 100m away An anti-farm murder supporter is pushed off his bike by EFF supporters.Photo / Shiraaz Mohamed Police Minister Bheki Cele and EFF leader Julius Malema (both in the centre of image) in court as they wait for proceedings to continue EFF members started moving towards the farmers, singing in isiZulu for the “gates to open”. The farmers moved towards the barricade but the EFF supporters maintained their distance. Then the farmers turned from the crowd and rushed around the street.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads An EFF group had rounded the block to face off with the farmers. Marshals fought to hold back party members who were face to face with a number of farmers while others chanted “shoot, shoot, shoot” and sang “dubula” and “Kill the Boer”.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The SAPS intervened to quell the situation the group of farmers who had been on the edge of town had been stopped by the police as they tried to make their way through the town’s centre but former party spokesperson Mbuyiseni Ndlozi stepped in to calm the crowd “We’re here to take the land,” said an EFF supporter who then threw a rock towards the group of farmers While the protests continued at the time of writing with a few rocks thrown and garbage bins overturned but leaders of both the farming groups and the EFF were trying to maintain order EFF leader Julius Malema told supporters they should march before he returned “Since the government of Cyril Ramaphosa is scared to act decisively, we are on our own. Next appearance, all ground forces and peace-loving South Africans will be in attendance in defence of our democracy and property,” said Malema in an interview with Newzroom Afrika on Thursday.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads He said the police had treated the farmers who protested the previous week with kid gloves Mahlamba has claimed that he was with his girlfriend on the evening of Horner’s murder but the state said it had a statement from her saying they were not together the whole evening Mahlamba and Matlaletsa intend on pleading not guilty Farmers stand on the main road of Senekal as EFF members (not in image) try to make their way to them in a standoff Farmers are seen in a standoff with EFF members as court proceedings continue for the two suspects accused of the murder of farmer Brendin Horner EFF members march down the main road of Senekal as court proceedings continue for the two suspects accused of the murder of farmer Brendin Horner EFF leader Malema was in court on Friday. Police Minister Bheki Cele and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo also attended.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Mahlamba and Matlaletsa appeared briefly in the Senekal Magistrates’ Court a week earlier A reported 1,000 farmers gathered at the court A smaller group stormed the courthouse and a police vehicle was turned over and another set on fire police set up roadblocks at the entrances to Senekal and searched vehicles for firearms Police conducted roadblocks at the entrances to Senekal checking for weapons on the eve of the court proceedings for the two suspects accused of the murder of farmer Brendin Horner “They don’t care about how we feel about all this What is going to happen after everyone is gone peaceful town and don’t need all this,” she said tomorrow I have to close my store and that’s not fair I’m a single mother with three children to feed How am I supposed to feed my children when my store is closed?” Would it not be more accurate to state that the EFF attempted to provoke a violent confrontation in Senekal and bring charges against their leadership The EFF are damn disgrace and a complete embarrassment to South Africa How on earth can this threatening behaviour be condoned in our so called democracy I awake every day thinking that the country surely can’t get any worse sitting side by side having a pleasant chat in court truly made my day!! I have watch the proceedings all day in Senekal I also watch relevant life broadcasts on YouTube to be on top of this story I am deeply disappointed in this article by Greg Nicholson and Bheki Semilane and the article is based on the few minutes they watched life TV If Daily Meverick can’t keep their articles relevant As I suspect that my comment will be banned again the suspects should not be handed over for community justice I suspect that any workers that were on the opposite side of their employers need to dust off their CV as they will soon be looking for a new house To put this whole thing in perspective & to understand the extent of the vitriol being thrown around by Malema & the gravity of the situation that’s unfolding I recommend that you watch the excerpt of Malema’s interview on Newzroom Africa Google “newzroom afrika malema” on Youtube Not sure they’ll allow me to post the link here When asked by the interviewer whether this could lead to civil war if it wasn’t so dangerous & tragic would be hysterical Where is the President in all of this mess Surely he should stand up & condemn Malema’s incitement to civil war The biggest tragedy is that an innocent young man was brutally & horrifically murdered & the narrative’s now all about Malema & the EFF & President grows a pair & deals with this decisively Dreyer Senekal is known as a farming hero who is transforming the lives of small-scale cotton and sugarcane growers along with his family Every morning at daybreak Dreyer Senekal and his well-known father have their first cup of coffee to plan their day at Mkuze Estates about 350km outside Durban in KwaZulu-Natal Mkuze is known for its sugarcane crops and isolated forest plantations Although the family farm has been running for over 40 years Senekal only joined his father in 1999 after he graduated from the former Nelspruit Agricultural College in Mbombela “I studied agriculture because I have always wanted to go into farming,” Senekal tells Food For Mzansi we used to plant all kinds of crops and I was involved so I think that’s where the love of farming comes from.” ALSO READ: Farmer development leader comes from humble origins Senekal runs Mkuze Estates along with his father and siblings – each with a different area of responsibility My brother handles the transport division because we [also] have a transport company and my other brother takes care of the game reserve My sister takes care of the lodges on the farm.” the family has cracked both local and global markets “It’s a big challenge and you have to do your homework You can’t just send your cotton overseas and hope you [will] get paid for it You have to go to reputable companies; you have to search for them He adds that it often takes many months or even years to strike a deal It is simply not as easy as picking up the phone and sending your products overseas “They have to issue guarantees before they buy your cotton but we have created a market and we obviously have a handful of agents who are helping us to export cotton They deal with all the transport from the cotton gin to the harbours from the harbour to getting the ships organised to be loaded and [the cotton] sent through to the clients there is a lot of effort going into that.” Senekal says it once took him longer than two years to get a reputable buyer Despite the pressure facing the cotton industry Mkuze Estates’ cotton division is flourishing “It is just growing because our quality is just selling itself That’s why I’m encouraging small-scale farmers to plant cotton as much as they can because we can make good money for our crops.” the positives always outweigh the negatives there are always challenges but I think the positives are better than the challenges Being a farmer in South Africa is a challenge the company is also battling against overseas sugar imports that are being dumped in South Africa “If you import sugar from Brazil cheaply and it comes to South Africa and the guys sell it cheaper than what we can produce it for Sugarcane is planted in the most rural of rural areas in the country it’s 80 000 hectares and that’s the most rural of rural areas in the country we are being hurt and the small growers are being hurt.” Senekal says since they foresee a future crisis for small sugarcane growers the company has built a sugar bean factory on the farm especially to aid small-scale farmers in Makhathini “We clean the beans and we put it in bags and sell it out into the market That’s how we are busy stimulating growth in agriculture I bought in cotton from over 120 black small-scale farmers from Makhathini and I pay them every Friday for their crops and I go look for markets overseas,” he says Senekal’s advice for aspiring farmers who want to reach similar heights “Young people come out of matric and they go back home and look after their father’s cattle If they can have a short course in agriculture how to spray and how to use agricultural equipment He concludes that employment must also be created because agriculture can create thousands of jobs he advises farmers to employ agricultural graduates to give them the much-needed work experience they deserve ALSO READ: Farming mentor’s golden rule: Never overplay your hand Just one important aspect of joining the South African hospitality industry on taking up a food and beverage job, is doing your.. With 21 global awards in the first six years of its existence Food For Mzansi is much more than an agriculture publication unashamedly saluting the unsung heroes of South African agriculture We believe in the power of agriculture to promote nation building and social cohesion by telling stories that are often overlooked by broader society Contact usOffice: +27 21 879 1824News: info@foodformzansi.co.zaAdvertising: sales@foodformzansi.co.za Home | South Africa The Senekal Magistrate’s Court in the Free State has denied bail to 51-year-old Andre Pienaar who’s facing charges of attempted murder malicious damage to property and public violence The matter has been remanded until the 20th of next month for further investigations Pienaar was arrested last week following violence in which a group of farmers stormed the court building to demand that two suspects charged with the murder of 21-year-old farm manager Brendin Horner be handed over to them The violent protests followed the brief court appearance of Sekwetje Mahlamba and Sekola Matlaletsa who are accused of Horner’s murder SABC’s Aphumelele Mdlalane reports:  There has been a range of mixed reactions to the violence which broke out in Senekal following Horner’s murder Deputy CEO of Civil Rights Organisation AfriForum says although violence is regrettable and cannot be condoned Police have been criticised for what was deemed ‘their perceived lack of action’ to quell the protests On the other hand, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) commended the police’s handling of the protests after the crowd dispersed when police fired a warning shot Roets further expressed concern over the possibility of escalating protests should government not urgently address the issue of farm attacks The Senekal Safety Association says while violence cannot be condoned, government leaders should also refrain from chanting slogans that may incite racial hatred during protests: farmers in the Free State called for the return of the death penalty to deal with farm murders: South Africa’s JJ Senekal is hunting back-to-back victories on the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour as he heads into the weekend of the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship just three strokes off the lead at Humewood Golf Club Senekal won last week’s SDC Open in wire-to-wire fashion and has carried that form to Humewood with a second round of 67 on Friday lifting him to 11 under par and chasing the 14 under par lead held by Frenchman Tom Vaillant following his 64 Swede Adam Blommé also came through 36 holes on 11 under following a 70 on Friday “I’m just riding the momentum of last week,” said Senekal as he looks forward to another strong weekend of being in contention After his victory last week Senekal took up membership of the Challenge Tour and seeing his name in third place on their Road to Mallorca rankings has certainly inspired him “That’s when the victory kind of really sunk in for me Now it’s a case of putting my foot on the gas and seeing if I can win three of them this season and get to the DP World Tour or end as high as I can to get that DP World Tour card,” he said Friday’s stiff breeze had a few Humewood locals nodding their heads in approval but the scoring was still impressive and Frenchman Vaillant set the clubhouse target of 14 under with his 64 in the morning “I’m quite comfortable on a links course,” said Vaillant “My style of play is to just hit my target and not be too aggressive and that’s what you have to do on links golf courses I hit almost all of my targets and it helped me to go low.” Excellent round by ???? Tom Vaillant ???? Hitting all targets ?? Set a good score heading into the weekend ?? Swipe left to hear the thoughts of the clubhouse leader. #NMBChamps #GreatnessBeginsHere #SunshineTour Senekal also felt the sharper focus Friday’s wind brought to his game “I played solid and made a couple of long putts It was tougher out there with the wind but I kept my composure pretty well after I made a double bogey on the par-three sixth and then came back strong with an eagle and made my day worthwhile at the end The wind protects this golf course and you need the wind for it to play to its true potential And it’s set him up for a tantalising weekend of possibly more success On this golf course anything can happen quickly Hopefully I can put another good round together and then have a shot on Sunday.” – Michael Vlismas PHOTO: South Africa’s JJ Senekal is hunting back-to-back victories on the Sunshine Tour and European Challenge Tour as he heads into the weekend of the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship three shots off the lead at Humewood Golf Club The attached image is free for editorial use only South Africa (14 February 2021) – In October 2020 a small town situated on the banks of the Sand River in the eastern part of the Free State province was thrown into chaos but just 4 months later and the Senekal community is restoring the cracks in their community by restoring the broken parts of their small town On the 6th of October 2020 agricultural leaders and community members protested outside the Senekal Magistrate Court the accused killers of farm manager Brendin Horner Protesters stormed the court and a police car was turned over and allegedly set on fire Gunshots were fired (according to eye-witnesses by the police) court property was destroyed and a police vehicle overturned and set alight the community believe that the crime in South Africa is out of control and the government is not doing enough to protect us Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela and the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union Their next court appearance of 16 October was once again accompanied by demonstrations from different groups outside the court building But that ordeal feels like a lifetime ago and Senekal is rallying together to restore the cracks in their community by restoring the broken parts of their small town The restoration project was created by the community and totally reliant on volunteers to get the job done Check out some of the amazing photos here: Brent Lindeque is the founder and editor in charge at Good Things Guy Recognised as one of the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South African’s as well as a Primedia LeadSA Hero Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a2841d71c7fa1ab3013488783276794a" );document.getElementById("d2d9e305b5").setAttribute( "id" Would you like to receive truly phenomenal inspirational and good thing stories right to your inbox Then subscribe to our weekly GoodThingsGuy newsletter today I accept GTG’s Privacy Policy GoodThingsGuy is the home of everything good and those are the things that really matter We believe that there is good news all around us and over 1 million readers a month agree with us GoodThingsGuy was officially launched on the 1 August 2015 in order to only promote good news inspirational stories and promote only positive multi-platform media company that distills unique content across multiple media platforms We consider individual and corporate contributions through the website or mail us directly here. Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again A diverse group of Democratic Alliance (DA) members attended the gathering at Senekal today together with hundreds of other people from across the Free State and the country to express support for the family of Brendin Horner who was brutally and senselessly murdered on a farm near Paul Roux last Friday The DA was also there to demonstrate outrage at the continuous criminal attacks on our farming community The DA regards both the owners of farms and their employees as farmers paid the ultimate price for his choice of career as a young South African farmer Crime continues to be one of the most serious security and economic threats to our farming community Crimes on farms that include murder and rape are already treated as a costly low intensity war by the agricultural community and should be recognised as such by government The DA’s presence in Senekal is also a tribute to all our farmers who generate the agricultural commodities that are used to produce our food and clothing through their sweat and toil and very often also through blood and tears Our farmers who ensure our food security are national assets who deserve the respect of a grateful nation and the protection of their government The DA understand the emotions of a violent death of a young person and the frustrations people have with the criminal justice system The DA will not react to violent outbursts and will continue to be the voice of reason registered non profit organisation in South AfricaReg No: 011-895 NPO This is a brief report updating and accompanying the following article: Street showdown at the Senekal corral as courtroom drama unfolds  advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Court proceedings into the murder of farm manager Brendin Horner were somewhat overshadowed by the drama outside the Senekal Magistrate’s Court caused by tension between rival protesting groups Inside the court, according to a News24 live feed the state prosecutor in the murder case opposed a media application to broadcast full court proceedings citing that the case is at a sensitive stage The state prosecutor asked the court that he  (the state prosecutor) not be identified or have his images taken in court made their second appearance as protesters from different political parties and organisations gathered outside Both accused told the court that they are unemployed and according to News24 he told the court he has a pending case of stock theft Mahlamba further told the court that he is unemployed and makes a living by doing odd jobs that earn him R1,500 a month – money that he uses to support his girlfriend and child reports are that he has no previous criminal convictions and the pending stock theft case is expected back in court in February 2021 Mahlamba’s testimony was also that he does not know his co-accused nor are they friends but knows where he lives further arguing he wants bail because he is not involved in the murder has a witness that claims to have heard both the accused boasting about “assaulting a white man on a farm” while visiting a tavern on 2 October Matlaletsa has two previous convictions for stock theft and one for illegally buying a pig who is part of the investigating team in the case testified that the post-mortem revealed that Horner was strangled and stab wounds were also found on one of his arms Myburgh further testified that bloodstained clothing was seized from Mahlamba’s freezer – a claim that Mahlamba denied saying there is no deep freezer in his house has been sent for forensic testing and analysis and while those results are yet to be known blood samples taken from Horner’s bakkie and sent for private testing by a private investigator revealed it was the blood of three males The matter was postponed to 20 October for the cross-examination of the investigating officer by the defence attorneys of the accused EFF leader Julius Malema and EFF deputy-president Floyd Shivambu attended the court appearance Malema and Cele were seen conversing while seated next to each other Malema addressed a gathering of his party members a few metres from the court we walk freely everywhere without being scared of a white man We will never support them because they committed a crime particularly when you kill innocent people or for the criminals,” he said to a cheering crowd Malema urged party supporters to gather in Senekal to protect state resources following the alleged torching of a police vehicle by farmers during the first appearance of the accused He further dismissed the narrative that there are farm murders in the country choosing to label the murders as criminal activity Taking sides in the farce that is playing itself out in the streets of Senekal is just fueling the racial hatred consuming us Both the EFF and Afriforum leaders should be arrested for stoking race hate who should be in the dock with the killers JJ Senekal held on to his place at the top of the SDC Open leaderboard as he weathered a cold putter intermittent rain and a few surges from his fellow professionals to place him two shots clear of the field going into Sunday’s final round at Zebula Golf Estate and Spa Senekal signed for a third round of 69 to lead on 18 under par His nearest challenger is Casey Jarvis on 16 under following his round of 66 Jaco Prinsloo and Martin Vorster are both three shots off the lead after their rounds of 66 and 68 respectively play was stopped for a minute’s silence in remembrance of former DP World Tour Chief Referee who passed away last Friday at the age of 67 Senekal has led from day one of this tournament and been remarkably composed despite the frustration of not always having his best putting game with him “It wasn’t the best round of golf I’ve ever played I hit good putts here and there but the reading wasn’t very good I gave myself a lot of opportunities but the putter just wasn’t working,” he said after a round of four birdies and one bogey “I was expecting people to charge and they did But I managed to keep myself in it and I’ve got a shot tomorrow.” Jarvis produced another strong charge to be in contention once again this season he didn’t get the finish he wanted as he bogeyed two of his final three holes when the rain suddenly came down again “I played really solid the whole day and I rolled in a lot of putts The way I’m striking the ball I feel really in control of my game at the moment I’ve been in this position before so hopefully but I’ve just got to stay patient out there,” he said as he looks forward to a possible maiden victory on the Sunshine Tour Patience will certainly be the theme for the final group with the more experienced Senekal taking the same approach There is obviously pressure but you have to keep it under control and not get ahead of yourself I’m very excited to be in the final group again and I have a shot at the title Farmers take part in a special mass prayer meeting held in October 2020 in Senekal in the Free State As the mood in the Free State town of Senekal begin to simmer down farmers have welcomed the police’s commitment to weed out corrupt officers who are linked to crime in rural areas Free State Agriculture (FSA) said although tension following the murder of 21-year-old farm foreman Brendin Horner brought the nation to a crossroad it is also noteworthy that several commitments have now been made to farmers the state made several important undertakings to the agricultural community which include action against corrupt SAPS members and to focus on combating farm attacks,” said the FSA president “FSA welcomes the government’s entry that organised agriculture cannot sit back in good faith and wait for the government organised agriculture itself will show initiative to improve conditions.” agriculture finds itself involved in a much larger debate “The emotion surrounding the Senekal protests shows that farm attacks have become symbolic of what is going wrong in South Africa for many people and communities we will have to reconsider our existing tactics.” “We showed that we can be angry about every farmer’s death in a peaceful manner We will continue to do the right things.” – SOCKS MASOKA The FSA president stressed that “support from our own ranks but also from the community is important for a successful and sustainable agricultural environment” “It is the duty of the organised agriculture community to harness this support with appreciation and prudence farmers will have to act proactively in order to make their own voice heard and the community’s voices regarding rural security.” Meanwhile the South African Human Rights Commission has offered to mediate in the town of Senekal following two weeks of protests over farm attacks “We are asking for a situation where people must remember that the (Horner murder) case must continue and that the law must take its course We cannot continue to polarise society and political parties should not exploit the situation but we cannot allow for criminality to continue it is very important to sit around the table together as the commission will be discussing a way forward.” Socks Masoka of the African Farmers’ Association of South Africa (Afasa) said he takes off his hat for everyone – regardless of their political affiliation – who thus far protested in a responsible manner We will secure ourselves and continue to do the right things.” Masoka had a stern message for police minister Bheki Cele who vowed to return to the Free State with an action plan to curb crime “I want to tell Cele his police should start doing their job and stop being part of thefts syndicates.” Masoka ensured the nation that despite some political utterances black people grief for those who are attacked and killed on farms – regardless of their skin colour They also unite in their grief about Horner “We are all saddened by the young man’s death Death and assault on our farms have no colour Meanwhile the nation continues to unite in prayer for the people of Senekal and other Free State farming communities “We are here to pray for Senekal and to pray for our nation,” a pastor at the Christian Revival Church in Johannesburg Civil war will not start in Senekal and that is what we are here to say Deputy President David Mabuza says the recent political instability in Senekal that led to polarised protests can only be resolved by addressing the underlying socio-economic inequalities in the eastern Free State town The Deputy President said this when he responded to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday “The Senekal events are an indication that the objective of building a country based primarily on non-racialism and unity across cultural diversity remains deferred until we have maximally addressed socio-economic disparities “That is why we reiterate the importance of steadfastly working towards addressing prevailing inequalities if these inequalities are structurally deep they can lead to serious polarisation that will result in social and political instability,” he said ANC MP Nokuzola Ndongeni had asked whether in light of the public unrest in Senekal last month following the murder of a local businessman Brendin Horner the implementation of any social cohesion activities will assist in calming the high levels of emotions the Deputy President said: “For as long as deep inequalities exist whether as a result of wealth or income disparities the mere hosting of cultural events will not produce a cohesive society We know that divisions fester in hopelessness social cohesion hinges on the minimisation of economic inequalities” He said in order to respond in a sustainable manner to incidences like that of Senekal there is a need to focus on three key aspects – consensus on values that shape our nationhood; working towards economic inclusion; and collective action in resolving social issues confronting our nation “That is why we must confront the historical injustices that continue to threaten our peace and stability to enable us to move forward as one people “We maintain that if we do not address the issue of land justice we will be aiding in the cultivation of inevitable social friction that would pull us backwards instead of launching us into a prosperous and shared future “The unfinished programme of land reform as well as prevailing conditions of inequalities provides a fertile ground for social discord and political instability and systemic exclusion of the majority mostly women and youth from productive means of economic empowerment.” Government deeply disturbed by Senekal events The Deputy President said government is deeply disturbed by the events that unfolded in Senekal as well as the degeneration into politics of race baiting and divisive populism remains deferred until we have maximally addressed socio-economic disparities,” he said He said it was government’s task to ensure that farming communities live in peace and harmony to support efforts towards increased agricultural production to sustain food security and economic growth and the violation of the rights of farm dwellers and workers must be condemned by all of us We must fight and defend the rights of everyone “Opportunities must be created for everyone to work the land and irk out a living without any fear of being murdered or violated We must encourage broad-based participation and collaboration among all those who work and live on the farms to work with law enforcement agencies in making the farming environment safe for everyone.” Editorial Enquiries: [email protected] Sales Enquiries: [email protected] Your attack on me in Business Report last week was proof that, while the heart may still beat at Independent, the soul is dead.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads From distorting basic reportage to abusing your editorship for cheap propaganda it was an object lesson in what has gone wrong at Independent since it fell to Dr Iqbal Survé it repeated the slur cast by Survé when he used an SABC interview to pursue the “Stratcom defence” “to publicly state his involvement in apartheid journalism as a young reporter” Second, you misrepresented my answer he was making all sorts of excuses for being a trooper in the army that he wrote some articles that I think he is ashamed of.” you peddled the rumour that I “am being paid to write positive stories about certain companies” you suggested I need to get out of my “comfortable air-conditioned office” the way Survé does “if he isn’t attending a global meeting” Perhaps you didn’t see the Skype interview where Sakina Kamwendo struggled to keep a straight face at the sight of my office which is a small space under my garage – and is storage for camping equipment and other junk as well as files about apartheid murders and post-apartheid malfeasance It does not have air-conditioning.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads Your assumptions about my office underline a bigger mistake about my decision to subject myself to military conscription It was precisely to confront the ugly reality of apartheid My only involvement with the apartheid security services was during those two years – from mid-‘84 to mid-‘86 which was deployed into townships in the Eastern Cape during two states of emergency I got to see just how vicious the system was – and that propelled me into journalism as a means of fighting injustice and exposing abuses I wrote my first article It was an exposé of what the police and the troops were doing in the townships It was published anonymously in the International Herald Tribune after I mailed it to an address given to me by Janet Cherry of the End Conscription Campaign. You can read about it here My “stuttering”, as you called it, was not a mark of “lying”, but betrayed the emotion of having to defend myself from such a grotesque distortion of my life and work – as any honest observer will appreciate.advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The attempt by you and Survé to deflect legitimate scrutiny by smearing me is a mark of desperation Survé is in the spotlight because of what he’s done What he’s done is damage, perhaps irretrievably, the health, integrity and credibility of Independent, once one of the pillars of our news media. advertisementDon't want to see this? Remove ads The notion that I’m being paid to write “positive stories about certain companies” is such poorly conceived slander Such is the life of an investigative journalist that I can’t recall the last time I wrote a positive story about anything – and I think you’ll struggle to find one in our archive I receive no remuneration outside of my amaBhungane salary