South Africa's national women's football team, Banyana Banyana, is making use of state-of-the-art video analysis as they look to do South Africa proud against the world's top female football-playing nations at the London Olympic Games in July.

"The Amisco programme is used by the Fifa Technical Study Group and by 11 PSL clubs and international brands, such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Hamburg, Inter Milan and many more," Amisco video analyst Wade Benn said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bafana Bafana has also been using the programme over the last few months, with the coaches singing its praises.

Analysis

The programme takes the emotion out of decision-making, and allows the coaches to prepare thoroughly for training and matches, not only through remembering what they previously saw of players, but by analysing video clips and statistical research.

"Each of the four matches played by Banyana Banyana at the recent Cyprus Women's Cup has led to a 31-page report, providing the coaches with in-depth information on elements including the team's strengths and weaknesses, goals scored and conceded, possession retained and lost," Benn explained.

"The coaches will also receive a tournament report summing up strengths and weaknesses, and key tactical and statistical points from the Cyprus Women's Cup."

'A major improvement'

"I can see a major improvement in certain areas of Banyana Banyana's play over the past two months since Amisco was actioned, with the coaches using the information to place focus where on-field matters need to be rectified," Benn said.

"The players' match intelligence is also improving, as they are able to see the decisions they could and should have made, and how to position themselves on the field."

Cape Town-based Benn has been working with Banyana Banyana team since early February. He has also worked with PSL sides Ajax Cape Town, Amazulu and Moroka Swallows.

Further measures

The South African Football Association has also introduced further measures to help Banyana succeed at the Games in London.

The team's support staff now comprises of a technical adviser, an assistant coach, goalkeeper coach, team manager, physical trainer, doctor, physiotherapist, biokinetics specialist, masseur and two kit managers, as well as a media liaison officer, a security manager and a video analyst.

SAinfo reporter

Electronics giant Samsung has launched the Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy to tackle the shortage of technical and engineering skills in South Africa, aiming to change five-million peoples' lives through corporate social responsibility initiatives by 2015.

The initiative strives to transform communities through education and skills development and in return open up skilled, well-paying job opportunities for individuals.

The Samsung Electronics Engineering Academy is located in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg, and will benefit the Technical High schools in the Ekurhuleni municipal area. Samsung has already signed participation agreements with four high schools in Katlehong and Vosloorus, and will accommodate more schools in the coming years.

The academy boosts a state-of-the-art electronics engineering lab to be used for all the practical work, and a technology-rich space where students, sourced from Grades 10 to 12 physical science and mathematics, will undertake theoretical lessons and discussions.

Youth interest in electronics

By tapping into the youth's interest in electronics, Samsung will equip underprivileged students attending government technical schools with the skills and practical experience required to make them competitive in the job market.

"At Samsung, we have identified the urgent need to address such skills and education challenges that Africa faces, as these affect the overall industry we are involved in," Samsung Africa corporate social responsibility (CSR) head Ntutule Tshenye said in a statement this week.

"Furthermore, it is our responsibility to implement effective and sustainable CSR initiatives that will deliver measurable improvements to the quality of life for both individuals and the community we work in."

Internship opportunities

The overall emphasis is hands-on, practical experience for the workplace. Furthermore, Samsung is focused on entering graduates of this class into a service centre programme.

Students who graduate from the academy will also compete for an internship opportunity at one of Samsung's various service centres across the country, where they will put the skills learned at the academy to practical use for Samsung customers.

Because the program provides students with the necessary engineering acumen, Samsung will help give the graduates a head start in the workplace, making them attractive recruits for Samsung, Samsung partners and or other industry players.

The Samsung Engineering Academy plays a key role within Samsung's overall CSR strategy, which incorporates far more than merely monetary investment, but rather a value-added approach, incorporating elements of true involvement such as employee time, consumer education and brand alignment," said Tshenye.

"With our goal in place to impact five-million lives by 2015, we believe that this initiative has the potential to do just that."

SAinfo reporter

Kirsten Koma

One-and-a-half hours – that's how long it would have taken learners from Lawley to get to school were it not for Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's drive to get a new school up and running in the suburb in the south of Johannesburg.

Lawley Secondary School in Lawley opened on the first day of the 2011 school calendar, 12 January, with 200-plus learners from the local community.

It is the first secondary school in the suburb and one of seven new schools opened across the province. "This school is a demonstration of government working together," said Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane, who attended the opening along with Motlanthe, Johannesburg Executive Mayor Amos Masondo, and Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy.

After residents pointed out the need for a secondary school in the area, Motlanthe committed himself to ensuring that the need was met. It took only eight weeks to set up the school, which is made up of prefabricated buildings.

Creecy spoke of the "Motlanthe magic" regarding Soshanguve Technical Secondary School, which improved its results by 50% after Motlanthe intervened. She hoped this same magic would stay with Lawley Secondary to ensure it produced 100% pass rates in the future.

"This community has an excellent opportunity to set the standard for the school. You have a blank sheet, no baggage, so you can move straight to becoming a school of excellence. Those who will join the school in the future will measure themselves against the standard set by the learners in this court," said Motlanthe.

He appealed to teachers, students and parents to perform their roles to the best of their ability. "The future of the school depends on what both students and teachers put in."

Skumbuzo Sibanda, a maths and social science teacher, said there was a desperate need for a secondary school in Lawley. "It is the first non-school fee paying secondary school in the area and it cuts down on the great distances that the children had to travel to school every day. We are ready and willing to take the school to new heights."

In his vote of thanks, Masondo urged educators to arrive on time, not neglect their duties and refrain from abusing their learners. As to the learners, Masondo reminded them of their responsibilities to arrive at school on time, do their school work and respect their educators.

Grade Eight pupil Mojalefe Masa said: "I'm happy to start my first day of high school at a new school. If the school wasn't here I would have to go to Ennerdale and it would take me one hour 30 minutes every day."

Pupil numbers

While there are only 200 children and 11 teachers at present, the school is able to accommodate many more. Creecy credits this to the fact that many parents had already enrolled their children at schools in neighbouring Lenasia and Ennerdale.

"Now that the school is up and running we can say to the community, 'Look it's here,' and start transferring those learners who are in Lenasia and Ennerdale to Lawley Secondary," she added.

She explained that while the government was unable to commit to a brick and mortar structure replacing the prefabs any time soon, residents must note that "the structures are insulated, they are SABS approved and have a 20-year life span ... There are windows, doors and black boards. The structures serve the purposes for which they are meant."

Gauteng has a shortage of 212 schools, which Creecy accredits to the large number of people who migrate to the province.

There were 13 other schools at different levels of completion that were to be opened this year, she said. While some were permanent structures, others, like Lawley, were temporary prefabricated structures.

Both Creecy and Mokonyane stressed the importance of these prefab schools, which can be set up quickly and accommodate the thousands of learners needing a place to study.

"We need to look at the use of alternative structures in the future ... It is a myth that permanent structures must be brick and mortar. There are other schools here in Gauteng that have prefabricated classrooms as a means of additional classroom space," Mokonyane pointed out.

Creecy confirmed that there were 2 000 mobile classrooms on order to be delivered over the next few months, which would satisfy the high need for supplementary classroom space at existing schools and make up many of the new schools to be opened this year.

Source: City of Johannesburg

As the world's best BMX riders converge on South Africa for the UCI BMX World Championships, starting on Thursday, the track has been opened to critical acclaim from the global BMX fraternity.

From the top of the eight-metre-high elite start ramp, Pietermaritzburg's deputy mayor Jabu Ngube was all smiles on Monday as she overcame her fear of heights to cut the banner to formally open the new-age track for the competition, aided by the UCI Technical delegate Johan Lindstrom, Cycling South Africa president Greg Till, and Pietermaritzburg BMX racing icon Sharlene McGillvray.

"We might have missed out on the soccer, but now it is Pietermaritzburg's time to shine," said Ngube.

A sporting destination

"We are working hard to position the city as a sporting destination, and the BMX World Champs is an excellent chance to show the world what we can do."

She also urged Pietermaritzburg sport lovers to support the event in numbers, which will in turn support the city's bids to host other major international events in the future.

"This way each and every person that attends the event will also be serving the city," she added.

Cycling South Africa president Greg Till was all smiles surveying the state-of-the-art track, which for the first time will feature dual tracks for the elite and cruiser classes, and two separate start ramps.

'A dream come true'

"It is totally awesome and a dream come true," said Till. "I have overcome the disbelief and I must say that the entire set-up has way exceeded my expectations."

Till also underscored the importance of staging an Olympic discipline world championships to such high standards, and the impact this would have on cycling's ongoing drive to have BMX included in the Commonwealth Games.

He also threw his weight behind the deputy-mayor's call for the public to support all four days of the event. "The support from Pietermaritzburg for the recent downhill MTB event was outstanding. I really hope that we can get the same sort of support for this event as we might get for a rugby match."

Home support

"All our riders will be easily identifiable in their green and gold, and you cannot understand what a difference the home crowd support will make for a lot of these riders," he added.

"We have plenty of world numbers and very experienced riders, but we also have riders who have never raced at this level. For these guys and girls the support of the home crowd in the Royal Showgrounds will mean a great deal," added Till.

The UCI BMX World Championships takes place at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg from Thursday, 29 July to Sunday, 1 August.

SAinfo reporter

Hosting the big events

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