No month gets South Africa abuzz like December. Whether it be the entertainment industry, sports, gambling, or general workers in retail, factories or offices, the excitement in Mzansi during the festive season can get throbbing and unyielding.
Even bomahlalela get to rub their hands in glee; their buddies and family members will be loaded, and there will be lots of machankura to blow away.
In the rural areas and villages, the Jozi-based folks will be making their way back home, to brag and to show the country bumpkins how things are done in the bright lights of Gauteng.
Most often than not, the poor folks will be mostly listening to lies, with outrageous hairdos, tattoos and some of the biggest fong-kong Guccis and Louis Vuittons the order of the day.
This will be happening while mense from Jozi, who have now suddenly picked up a funny twang and accent, will be stroking and filling the hubbly bubbly, a new discovery in far-flung villages.
You dare argue with them, you can forget about the ice-cold hooch in the cooler bag at the back of their VW Polo or double-cab bakkies.
At this time of the year, stokvels and “societies” are also closing and nimble-fingered bookkeepers have long formulated plans to embezzle funds and how to account for the
looted stash.
Even in the PSL, it’s going to be one hell of a party before things cool off for the Christmas break and the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations spectacle, which will kick off in Morocco in the middle of December.
Like a cheating boyfriend, Orlando Pirates may have been dumped out of the CAF Champions League in the preliminary rounds, but they are still fighting on three fronts back in the domestic league.
The Buccaneers will vie for their second trophy of the season when they face Marumo Gallants in the final of the Carling Knockout in Polokwane on Saturday.
They lifted the MTN8 trophy for the fourth successive season after panelbeating Stellenbosch FC 3-0 in Mbombela.
The Buccaneers will also get a chance to cement their lead at the top of the Betway Premiership log table after catching up with Mamelodi Sundowns.
The Sundowns juggernaut has helped itself to the last eight editions of the league title and 15 overall in the PSL era.
The Buccaneers have not been better placed in well over a decade to end the Brazilians’ monopoly.
Bucs last won the league during the famed double treble years of Ruud Krol 2011-12 tenure and the shared reign of Julio Leal and Augusto Palacios in the 2012-13 season.
It’s been 13 long years, and it must feel like they have forgotten how to win the league.
Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, the biggest clubs in Southern Africa, have each won the PSL league title a mere four times.
No wonder they are both a laughing stock when compared to Sundowns, who are also regarded as a force on the continent.
The Buccaneers are currently playing a mouthwatering, fast-paced and aggressive brand of football, and whether they can grab Sundowns by the gonads remains to be seen.
It has also been a rather bizarre and busy year for Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos, who will be attending the 2026 Fifa World Cup draw in Washington next weekend.
Broos will get some time to spend with the grandkids back home in Belgium. The man who once thought that pap was a dessert when he first landed in Mzansi needs that kind of breather before things get hectic at the Afcon in a couple of weeks.
Under the guidance of the grey-haired Belgian coach, Bafana have undergone a positive transformation and are no longer considered weak, so to speak.
Broos has remained steadfast and announced a preliminary squad last week. He faced undue criticism when he omitted some players.
There’s no doubt the squad is teeming with talented players, and South Africans will be forgiven for nursing dreams of a repeat of 1996 when Bafana conquered Africa. Woza December … Woza Afcon…
