The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Sport Administration unit has earned high praise for its impeccable hosting of Varsity Football home games.
The Varsity Football tournament commissioner Mr. Lehlohonolo Nyelele commended the DUT Sport unit for their outstanding organization, and adherence to tournament standards during the clash between DUT FC and the University of the Free State (UFS) on Thursday, 21 August 2025, at Harry Gwala Stadium.
He praised DUT’s exceptional planning, noting the full packed venue, energetic crowd, safety and health measures including smooth logistics for fans.
“I am impressed with what I saw today. DUT has truly raised the bar. Their match coordination is of the highest standard, surpassing even universities that have hosted games for years. The level of professionalism here is remarkable. I really cannot fault them.” he said.
Despite the praise from the commissioner on the organising aspects, but on the field, DUT FC continues to have a difficult start as they narrowly lost 2-1 against UFS. Trailing 2-0 at half-time, DUT fought back strongly in the second half, with Nkululeko Nkosi scoring a spectacular free kick to register the team’s first goal of the campaign. Despite relentless pressure, time ran out for the comeback.
DUT FC head coach, Mr. Zipho Dlangalala said the results are not the true reflection of the game. He believes that they had a solid performance and dominated the game.
“We had a very good game generally proper organised, but sadly even if you can play well, if you do not score goals, you do not win. Despite losing three times, with the abilities of my team and players I believe that they can only get better.’’ he said.
Additionally, coach Dlangalala said the good part was that they finally managed to score their first goal.
“It is a huge plus that we managed to score. It is something we have been working hard on, so to finally achieve it is moral booster for the team. Hopefully going forward, we will be able to score more goals to get the results.’’ he added.
DUT Sport Officer in Midland campuses Mr. Michael Mbatha expressed his satisfaction on how well they executed the whole event.
“Everything was well planned. It was a good turn up. We prepared everything well, credit must go to organising team for outstanding work. We improved a lot from the last one and we will do our best again on the next one.’’ said Mbatha.
Reflecting on the game he said the team started slowly and considered early in the game which put them under a lot of pressure. However, he believes that this loss would be a learning curve for the boys going forward.
Pictured: The DUT community filling Harry Gwala Stadium in support of the DUT FC.
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile.
Vukani Langa
