Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

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  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen

‘Sulphur smell’ has Pretoria residents worried, as some complain of headaches

 Eliot Mahlase

‘Sulphur smell’ has Pretoria residents worried, as some complain of headaches

A strange dark cloud smelling of sulphur” in the area had Pretoria residents abuzz. Photo: Martin van Niekerk

In one tweet, Gauteng Weather said that the air pollution was coming from either Emalahleni or Secunda.

“A strange dark cloud smelling of sulphur” in the area had Pretoria residents abuzz on social media over the weekend.

This as several residents complained of the smell and cloud that seemed to have lingered until Monday.

Many believed the cloud to be pollution emanating from Mpumalanga.


“Does anyone else smell sulphur on the air? It’s giving me a headache of note,” posted resident David John Newton on Facebook.

“I’m checking again what’s causing the sulphur dioxide smell and hazy weather conditions,” posted Graeme Preston on the East Rand weather group at around 10:15 on Saturday morning.

“Current air quality levels: 154. Unhealthy air quality. Sulphur dioxide levels: 14. Average. The tropical depression in the Mozambique channel is changing the wind direction because our wind doesn’t normally come from the south-east direction.”

Tebogo Ngoatoana, another Pretoria resident, also believed the smell may have originated from Mpumalanga. “Apparently it’s originating from Mpumalanga’s industrial areas,” he tweeted.

In one tweet, Gauteng Weather said that the air pollution was coming from either Emalahleni or Secunda.

“South-easterly winds point to stench coming from Mpumalanga’s direction. The province is a pollution hotspot due to large industrial and electrical plants in the area,” the tweet read.

The SA Weather Service, however, could not confirm the smell.This article was republished from Rekord East with permission 

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