Jesse Chellan

Sports Fanatic, Proteas, Titans, Dolphins, Warriors, Africa Cricket, Springboks, Sharks...and saved by God's Grace! Now following from a distance

[World Athletics @WorldAthletics]

HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE 🫨

Sabastian Sawe becomes the first person ever to break the 2-hour barrier in official race conditions, storming to a historic 1:59:30‼️

@KejelchaYomif, on his marathon debut, also breaks 2 hours with a stunning 1:59:41 and @jacobkiplimo2 clocks 2:00:28, also faster than the previous world record 😤

[Sonu @Cricket_live247]

David Miller looked emotional and alone after winning the match for his team with the winning shot against RCB.

He scored 15 runs in the final over and finished with 22* off 10 balls at a strike rate of 220.

When he failed to finish against GT, many people trolled him, calling him a “choker.” But once again, he proved that he is one of the most clutch players. The way he played today deserves appreciation.

Well played, David Miller — a brilliant finish against RCB. 👏

[Jared Wright @jaredwright17]

Day 2 329 as WORLD CHAMPIONS 🏆

[robertmarawa @robertmarawa]

🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[Dolphins Cricket @DolphinsCricket]

Massive congratulations to our Proteas who qualified for the ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals 🤩🙌💥💫

Best wishes, Team! Keep going! We are so proud of you all 🤩🙌🫶🇿🇦

#GoDolphins🐬
#ReadyForMore
#CatchTheThrill
#WozaNawe
#BeyondTheBoundary

[Pierre Joubert @Jiggs_7]

Good win @ProteasMenCSA - so clinical & professional.

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

Really poor quality game !!

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

What a shocking display of rugby from England!!

No basics from defence, lineouts, kicking for touch, handling and finally discipline.

Have made Ireland look good !!

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

What a shocking display of rugby from England!!

No basics from defence, lineouts, kicking for touch, handling and finally discipline.

Have made Ireland look good !!

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

Time is most precious. Never too late.

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover. —Mark Twain

[Vala Afshar @ValaAfshar]

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover. —Mark Twain

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

That’s a statement performance @ProteasMenCSA . Well played.

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

Very sad news. RIP Rowle!!

[Dolphins Cricket @DolphinsCricket]

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins fraternity is left shaken after the devastating news of the passing of former Dolphin, partner and friend - Grant Rowley.

“Rowls” wore the Dolphins badge with immense pride and remained a faithful, friendly and highly passionate part of the Dolphins family even after his professional playing career.

His contribution to cricket and memories he created with teammates and supporters stretch far beyond the boundary and will always remain part of our legacy.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Kirsty, his two sons, extended family, friends and all who have had the privilege of meeting him along his journey. May he rest in peace 🕊🌿

[Pierre Joubert @Jiggs_7]

Well batted @BrevisDewald - hell of a knock boetie

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

Great view for the afternoon 😍

[Betway SA20 @SA20_League]

No more sleeps! Today is the day!
#BetwaySA20 #PCvSEC

[Jesse Chellan @JesseChellan]

Back at an old haunt, with being involved with both teams. Question is, who to support !! Underdogs?

[Sky Sports Cricket @SkyCricket]

What cricket is all about ❤️

[Proteas Men @ProteasMenCSA]

What a year it’s been! 🙌

From making history in the World Test Championship to reaching yet another World Cup final, #TheProteas have been nothing short of phenomenal in 2025. 🇿🇦🔥

The journey is far from over as the continuation of success is set to roll into the new year. 💪🏏

#Unbreakable

[Pierre Joubert @Jiggs_7]

Merry Xmas to all - stay cool & remember the reason for celebrating!

[Wandile Sihlobo @WandileSihlobo]

MY DRIVE FROM THE NORTHERN REGIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA TO THE WILD COAST IN THE 2025-26 SUMMER

Yearly, in December, I take an annual drive from the northern regions of South Africa through to the Wild Coast. This long drive serves an essential purpose for an agriculturalist like me, a window to the vegetation and agricultural conditions across our beautiful country.

This year, 2025, was no different. I took a long drive across the country, and the sight was uplifting, lush and green, illustrating both the fact that we are emerging from a rainy summer in the 2024-25 season and are starting another successive rainy summer in the 2025-26 season.

For livestock farmers, the grazing veld looks healthy and lush, which significantly eases feeding costs. For those who grow vegetables and fruits that require irrigation, the dams have recovered and have plenty of water, although we are still in the early months of the season. This means there is already some level of certainty about better irrigation conditions for the coming months. Moreover, frequent rainfall also means that some farmers may save somewhat by using less frequent irrigation.

It was also uplifting to see that farmers have successfully planted in several regions across the country, and the maize, sunflower seed, and soybean fields look excellent. The various areas of the Free State stood out for me, while in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, amongst others, there were still early-planted crops. The sight presented a picture of potentially a better season ahead.

As I have stated on various occasions, South African farmers are optimistic that the 2025-26 summer season will be better. For example, in the last quarter of 2025, the Agbiz/IDC Agribusiness Confidence Index, a sentiment indicator in the sector, rose by 5 points to 67. This shows the improvement in sentiment as the Index is well above its 50-neutral mark, which separates optimism and pessimism (when below 50). This was on the back of expected better agricultural production conditions due to anticipated La Niña rains, and hopes that the cattle vaccination program would help address the foot-and-mouth disease challenge.

South Africa will vaccinate the roughly 12 million national herd of cattle, of which 7.2 million are in commercial production. The logistics of successfully carrying out this process will become clearer in 2026 as the vaccination process gains momentum. Still, the fact that we are moving towards this path after a prolonged period of the foot-and-mouth disease is a positive step. The better grazing veld I witnessed on my drive from Pretoria to the Wild Coast will help support the industry, which is already poised for a recovery.

This optimism extends to the summer grains and oilseeds. For example, the farmers intend to plant 4,49 million hectares this new season, up by 1% from the 2024-25 season. In the areas that have planted, the crop looks promising. Indeed, there are areas where the crop will likely be later than usual.

I could see some overly wet fields as I drove across the country in the various regions. But the warmer weather between these rains has helped, and will continue to help, and farmers were prepared to plant quickly whenever there is a window of sunshine and the fields are not too muddy.

We typically say the optimal planting window for summer grains and oilseeds in South Africa is between mid-October and mid-November in the eastern regions, and mid-November through to mid-December in the western areas.

The area for these windows, amongst other things, was also a concern due to potential frost damage later in the season. There was always a need for farmers to plant at the right time to avoid the frost and take advantage of the rains earlier in the season.

But over time, we have seen seasons being far later than these windows. In fact, the 2024-25 season in grains and oilseeds, which brought an excellent harvest of 20.08 million tonnes (up 30% y/y), was delayed by roughly a month and a half from the typical schedule.

Therefore, even if the current rains delay plantings in some areas, there should be no significant concerns. We know from recent history that farmers can still plant quickly and enjoy a better season.

In essence, my drive to the Wild Coast this year provided further comfort about the promising agricultural conditions across the country. The weather outlook remains favourable for South Africa's agriculture going into the 2026 summer season. Interventions through livestock vaccination and a stronger focus on improving port efficiency will help ensure widespread gains in the sector, supporting solid growth in 2026.

-wandile