IOL Women in Sport

IOL

WOMEN IN SPORT

August 2020

OUR FEARLESS CAPTAIN

CONTENTS 8

August 2020 9

15

17

18

COVER STORY Wynona Louw spoke to South Africa’s star rugby player and Springbok women’s captain, Babalwa Latsha. The first woman from Africa to sign a professional rugby contract in Europe. [ 6 & 7 ]

Springbok women’s captain Babalwa Latsha.

Photo: CNN interview clip

8 9

SOCCER: Acting PSL chief executive Mato Madlala on leading a top organisation like the Premier Soccer League with such distinction.

9

TENNIS: Kagiso Ledwaba, 16, is still on cloud nine after being courtside with tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal earlier this year.

10

SOCCER: Royal Eagles chairperson and businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize on how she juggles running a football club with her businesses.

10 EDITOR: Ian Smit DESIGNER: Matthys Moss

MMA: Interview with mixed martial arts star Amanda Lino. Lino made history by being the first female to capture both the EFC flyweight and bantamweight titles.

11

NETBALL: Interview with Proteas assistant coach Dumisani Chauke.

During the national lockdown she spearheaded a community upliftment programme in Tshwane.

SOCCER: Banyana stalwart Jermaine Seoposenwe tells us about her exploits at Braga in Portugal.

12

CRICKET: The brilliant flashing bat of Lizelle Lee, one of the stars of the Proteas.

13

CRICKET: How Laura Wolvaardt has turned out to be the jewel in the Proteas crown.

15

CRICKET: The rise and rise of 20-year-old Proteas left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba.

16

CRICKET: The ginger factor: A profile on young Proteas allrounder Nadine de Klerk.

17 18

JUDO: Profile of Unelle Snyman, one of Africa’s leading judokas.

19

SOCCER: Football agent Siyabulela Loyilane on the challenges of managing male football players.

SOCCER: Much-loved supporter Mama-joy of Orlando Pirates on how she also finds time for her family.

[3 ]

“I believe in myself.

I believe in my destiny.”

CASTER SEMENYA

[4]

Caster Semenya.

Photo: EPA

EDITOR’S NOTE

Respect and recognition of women’s sport must happen at a much faster pace in South Africa A very warm welcome to our special Women in Sport edition. We at Independent Media are proud to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our women across the entire sporting landscape, and to showcase their stories.

Let’s be honest: The reality is that women’s sport is still not competing on an equal platform to their male counterparts.

There is simply not enough respect and recognition, and this also applies across a broad spectrum of society.

There are signs that these mindsets are shifting, but it must happen at a much faster pace.

SA rugby women’s captain Babalwa Latsha puts it simply and powerfully: “We should be seen as athletes and we should be given the same respect as you would a Siya Kolisi.”

We hope you enjoy the wide variety of profiles and stories in this edition: From 16-year-old rising tennis star Kagiso Ledwaba to major role players like soccer boss Mato Madlala.

We salute all the sportswomen of South Africa for inspiring our spirits and lifting our hearts.

Ian Smit Editor

[5]

WYNONA: WHAT I LIKE ABOUT LATSHA 1. She is (or was) the ultimate student athlete: An LLB graduate. Earned national colours in both fifteens and Sevens, all within five years.

2. She is passionate about fighting for women in sport: Aims to use her law degree to tackle inequality that sportswomen still face in South Africa (equal pay, more media coverage, improved financial backing, etc.)

3. She makes time to give back: Hosted several coaching clinics and mentorship programmes in Khayelitsha.

4. She’s a try-hungry front-rower! Need I say more?

Latsha appalled by stereotypes Bok women’s captain does not mince her words about the challenges and discrimination women in SA rugby still face WYNONA LOUW

[6]

COVER STORY

S

OUTH African women’s rugby pioneer.

Trend-setter. Legend in the making. All of those descriptions can be regarded as pretty accurate when the name Babalwa Latsha comes to mind.

The 26-year-old prop has made a name for herself in a country where women’s rugby is far from where it should be, in terms of backing and exposure. And, in a way, that makes what she has achieved in her young career even more impressive.

When the University of the Western Cape law graduate jetted off to Spain in the first week of January this year, the Springbok women’s captain was one step closer to making a massive statement.

When boarding that flight, Latsha became the first African woman to turn professional and sign an international professional rugby contract.

Better yet, she made proper use of the historic opportunity as she went on to cement her place in SD Eibar Taldea’s starting line-up, earning a contract renewal for another season. Oh yes, the fact that she scored 13 tries in seven games for her new team no doubt contributed to her scoring that offer to extend her stay.

Not so long ago, Latsha, who is originally from Khayelitsha, captained the Bok women’s team that qualified for the 2021 Rugby World Cup, dabbled in Sevens at UWC – where she thought she would just “fill out the numbers” – led Western Province to three consecutive inter-provincial league titles and represented the Springbok Women’s Sevens team at the World Cup. Now she seems set to continue paving the way for SA women’s rugby players and doing the most for her top-tier club in Europe.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to facilitate women’s rugby in South Africa and to help us get to the point where women get more opportunities,” Latsha said. “Football is doing a great job at normalising professionalism for women, and we need the same for rugby.”

Latsha also did not mince words about the challenges and discrimination women in rugby still face.

“It’s one thing being a woman, and a whole other thing being a woman who plays rugby,” she said.

“The perception of women’s rugby in this country appals me. The type of questions people

Opposite page: Babalwa on the attack in the Test against Spain at the WJ de Wet Stadium in Despatch.

Above: Winning pocession in the 2019 Women’s Interprovincial A League Final between Western Province and Border.

Photos: Facebook; African News Agency(ANA)

ask in terms of my experiences speaks to the type of ignorance we’re facing. So I’ve taken it upon myself to make sure that we do away with the stereotypes that are attached to female rugby players and any female who participates in a male-dominated sport.

“In 2020 we should not have comments that probe into our physicality, like why are we so muscular, why do you even bother with rugby, where are we going with this... you know, it’s the little things. We should be seen as athletes and we should be given the same respect as you would a Siya Kolisi.

“We ostracise and criticise the Caster Semenyas and the Serena Williams simply because they’re different, yet they’re the best at what they do. Before we can get to anything that is policy-driven or anything that’s to do with strategies or plans, anything that can be dealt with on paper, we first need to deal with the perception. What do you tell a parent who doesn’t think her 13-year-old should be playing rugby because it’s a sport for boys? How do you change that perception? We need to start correcting the damage and sort of groom a generation that’s progressive in their thinking, so that we don’t deal with those issues.”

[7]

MMA

LINO WILL NOT STOP

EFC bantamweight champion Amanda Lino is all focussed in the ring.

INSERT: Coach Rodney van der Vlugt.

Photos: Supplied

[8]

WYNONA LOUW

IF there is one thing Amanda Lino wants you to know, it’s that mixed martial arts (MMA) is about more than just physicality.

It’s been nine years since Lino took up the sport. Today she is contracted to the EFC and reigns as the bantamweight champion. In just six professional fights, Lino captured both the bantamweight and flyweight titles. She lost the latter last year. The 28-year-old said that the lack of female representation when she got into MMA delayed her involvement in competitive fighting.

“For the first two years I didn’t compete because there weren’t a lot of girls doing MMA. In the first year that I competed, I went

to the world championships in Las Vegas and won, so things took off nicely,” said Lino, who now lives in the Netherlands with her coach, International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) president Rodney van der Vlugt.

Being a female in sport automatically comes with its challenges, something that Lino – who works as a personal trainer and an MMA and self-defence instructor at her coach’s gym – has experienced.

“The male athletes make a lot more money even though we have the same audiences and put in just as much effort. That’s the one thing I was struggling with in South Africa,” said Lino, who became only the second South African woman to sign professionally.

TENNIS/SOCCER

Mato: A force to be reckoned with in SA soccer MINENHLE MKHIZE IT is a wonderful tonic for sport in our country that we currently have a women at the very top level of South African football.

Mato Madlala is the acting chief executive of the PSL and has certainly made her presence felt in the soccer fraternity. She is also the chairperson of Golden Arrows.

After her brother, Rocky Madlala, passed away in 2007 she took over the managerial role at Arrows.

Under the tutelage of Mato, Abafana Bes’thende lifted their first major trophy in the top flight with

Mato Madlala Photo: BackpagePix

the MTN8 crown in 2009 In 2015, Mato was appointed as the acting chief executive of the PSL after the departure of Brand de Villiers. She has not looked back since, and last year the PSL announced a revenue of R1billion on her watch.

Even during Covid-19 lockdown, the PSL was still able to pay their teams their full monthly grants.

Madlala is doing a great job as the acting chief executive of the league and it will be a well-deserved honour if she gets the job on a permanent basis.

Tennis is a Ledwaba family affair HERMAN GIBBS

KAGISO Ledwaba, a 16-year-old Grade 10 learner, is still floating on cloud nine several months after she rubbed shoulders with tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Ledwaba attends the TuksSport High School in Pretoria and was a ball girl when Federer played Nadal in Cape Town earlier this year.

“Federer is one of the best. He has that ability to make playing winners look so easy, but it is about more than that. You can’t help but be overwhelmed by the compelling aura around Federer,” Ledwaba said.

Tennis is sort of a family affair for the

Ledwabas. At the age of 54, Ledwaba’s dad Geoph still plays a mean game. Geoph’s eldest son, Khutso, went on a tennis bursary to study in the United States. Ledwaba’s passion for the game was kindled by watching her dad and brother play.

The one thing, however, dad has emphasised from a young age to his daughter is that being on the court is not about winning or losing. It is about playing the game and enjoying it.

It is advice that has stood the Tuks tennis player in good stead over the last year. A highlight was winning an Under-18 tournament in Limpopo.

MAIN: Roger Federer ecstatic after he won his exhibition match against Nadal in Cape Town.

INSERT: Disbelief as Federer shares a light moment on court with Ledwaba.

Photos: YouTube

[9]

SOCCER

Mkhize’s Kings set for crowning glory MINENHLE MKHIZE

Royal Kings’ Shaun Mkhize

SHAUWN Mkhize will be one of the top football administrators in the future judging from what she has achieved at Real Kings.

Kings may campaign in the GladAfrica Championship, but their base in Pietermaritzburg is classy.

Players, coaches and administrators can walk to the training venue.

They have three soccer fields of different sizes,

a gym, laundry, chilling lounge, swimming pools and staff offices in one complex.

Players have free Wi-Fi and DStv in their rooms, and receive three-course meals daily. No visitors are allowed for players, and alcohol is also not allowed.

Kings recently reached the Nedbank Cup quarterfinals where they were beaten at home by Wits.

Mkhize is reaping the rewards of her investments.

Her dream is to propel

Kings to the PSL. She has invested in top players like ex-Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns hitman, Edward Manqele.

Players receive competitive salaries. Off the field, signs are there that they are destined for the top flight, but they have to back that up on the field.

Just like Patrice Motsepe, who turned Mamelodi Sundowns into a dominant force, Mkhize will be hoping to do the same with Kings.

Woman power way to go HERMAN GIBBS

“HERE’S to strong women.

May we raise them. May we empower them. May we be them.”

As we celebrate Women’s Month in August, that was the message from Dumisani Chauke, the assistant coach of the Proteas netball team, when she spoke at a recent gender-based violence event. Chauke has also been spearheading a community upliftment programme during the national lockdown in the Eersterust area, in Tshwane.

Chauke, 31, has taken time off from coaching activities to roll out programmes of the Dumisani Chauke Netball Foundation (DCNF). Earlier in August she visited the Eersterust netball community and presented them with feme (women’s products) packs. [ 10 ]

The Dumisani Chauke Netball Foundation is partnered by the Tshwane University of Technology, Harry Gwala Foundation, South African Women and Sports Foundation and Brand SA. The feme packs were sponsored by supermarket giant Spar.

The foundation is a nonprofit organisation that seeks to empower young girls through netball skills coaching, life skills training and community-based projects.

Over the last few weeks, Chauke has been at the forefront of leading Netball South Africa’s charge on spreading the Covid-19 message, while offering online support to help players stay healthy.

Chauke has been offering support to help players stay healthy during lockdown.

Chauke uses her Twitter account for daily “Coaching from Home” posts for netballers to stay active during the lockdown. She is also reaching out to Proteas players who are in England, Australia and New Zealand where they have professional contracts.

“Yes, it’s disastrous because people are losing lives,” said Chauke “We’ve got to stay positive and allow it to take care of each other.”

Chauke’s advice to women is: “Be you. Be strong. Be courageous. Be vocal. Be the change. Be beautiful. The world will adjust.”

Meet Dumisani Chauke 1. Her love for fast cars is beyond explanation. She enjoys driving around town.

2. Chauke’s favourite line of advice to young players: Never forget your roots 3. Chauke enjoys sewing – she has a sewing machine – “Now and then I will make something small for the kids or I’ll make myself a top or a dress” 4. Chauke loves cooking – “During lockdown, we don’t have any fast-food outlets, we have no choice but to cook.

So, I get my son to join me.”

SOCCER

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Jermaine Seoposenwe in action during the 2020 Olympics Qualifier 2nd Leg match between South Africa and Botswana. Photo: BackpagePix

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Seoposenwe a bedrock for Banyana MINENHLE MKHIZE

MITCHELLS Plain is renowned for producing top sporting talent and Banyana Banyana star Jermaine Seoposenwe falls into that category.

Over the years, Mitchells Plain has blessed South Africa with stars such as Moeneeb Josephs, Nasief Morris, Ricardo Katza, Devon Petersen and Nizaam Carr.

Seoposenwe rose to prominence in 2010 at the Under-17 World Cup. She introduced herself in style in Trinidad and Tobago.

She scored SA’s two goals at the tournament and suddenly everyone started to take note of the then 16-year-old from Cape Town.

After the World Cup, Seoposenwe was named SA’s Young Women’s Player of the Year.

Two years later she missed out on the London Olympics because of injury. She bounced back and helped Banyana qualify for the Rio Games, and she was a star at the World Cup in France last year.

Now 26, Seoposenwe is one of the cogs in the Banyana team and has formed a potent attacking partnership alongside Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane.

Her international experience in the United States, Lithuania, Spain and Portugal has made her a national asset. [ 11 ]

CRICKET

Master blaster For the Proteas’ powerhouse opener it’s all about ‘see ball hit ball’ STUART HESS

A couple of years ago Colin Ingram uploaded a video of himself hammering a truck tyre with a massive mallett onto Twitter.

It was a demonstration of one of his training methods for “power hitting.” “I saw that,” said Lizelle Lee, her voice trailing off.

Lee doesn’t train that way – yet, but there was a look of interest as she rolled it over in her head. For now, much like her batting, her training methods are simple. “We just have someone throwing balls to us in the middle and we try and hit it as far as possible,” added Lee. She hits the ball further than most – regardless of gender.

“I try, when we do our power hitting (exercises) in the middle, I try and (hit the ball as far as possible).

“I love it. It comes naturally, sometimes I don’t think about a shot, I just play. It’s natural – like you know you need to press your clutch to change gears – it just happens, you don’t think about it, it comes naturally.

“You can ask a lot of my teammates and they will tell you my style is all about ‘see ball, hit ball.’”

[ 12 ]

Lizelle Lee in action during a WT20 World Cup warm-up match between Australia and the Proteas at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide. Photo: EPA

That style has served Lee well and provided her with financial stability too, thanks to contracts in Australia’s Women’s Big Bash League and England’s Super League.

When she started studying at North West University eight years ago, teaching and trying to earn a national hockey cap were her priorities.

She tried cricket for fun, didn’t like it that she couldn’t keep the ball on the ground when batting,

gave it up and then restarted again and with some minor technical adjustments started making a success out of it.

Lee is sticking to the simple mantra of “see ball hit ball” regardless of whether she makes a hundred or 10.

“They pick you for you, they don’t pick you and then ask you to play another style, they want you to play the way you play and they back you, with the ability you have,” Lee said.

CRICKET

Wolvaardt, a future Proteas captain

FAST FACTS ABOUT WOLVAARDT

Laura Wolvaardt of South Africa plays a shot during the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final match between Australia and South Africa. Photo: EPA

ZAAHIER ADAMS

LAURA Wolvaardt possesses a striking cover drive. But there she was, dispatching Australian seamer Megan Schutt over the square-leg boundary for six in a T20 World Cup semi-final.

While Wolvaardt has not quite worked out how exactly she is doing things at the moment, I can’t help feeling she will figure it all out rather quickly and that I am indeed sitting with a future Proteas captain. She gives a great degree of thought before answering each question.

“I definitely take some time before the game to think about what I want to do and visualise what might happen and see myself playing well,” Wolvaardt said.

These are all solid leadership credentials, but right now the SA’s Women’s Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year simply wants to enjoy the path of choosing to play cricket over her pending medicine studies.

She will hopefully soon be teaming up with the Adelaide Strikers where Wolvaardt will share a dressing-room with New Zealand captain Suzie Bates in the Australian Women’s Big Bash League. It will be another leader to sponge off, after playing close attention to her all-time hero, Proteas skipper Dane van Niekerk.

At only 21, Wolvaardt has the world at her feet.

1.

She has 34.9k Instagram followers

2.

She is studying BSc Life Sciences through Unisa 3.

She hosted several coaching clinics and mentorship programmes in Khayelitsha.

4.

She has played 50 ODIs and 25 T20s for the Proteas

[ 13 ]

[ 14 ]

CRICKET

Mlaba spinning into full bloom Cricket SA’s International Newcomer of the Year set for bright future STUART HESS

NONKULULEKO Mlaba is a potential future star who you may have never heard of.

Don’t worry. She is only 20 and has plenty of time on her side to make an impression and become a household name.

What will make Mlaba a household name is that she is just at the start of her journey as a professional athlete and that beginning just happens to coincide with increased attention on women’s cricket globally. In South Africa, the focus will be sharpened in the next couple of years, with the Proteas involved in two World Cups,

MAIN: Nonkululeko Mlaba in action against England at the T20 World Cup in Perth.

Top: Celebrating with Dane van Niekerk after taking the wicket of Jess Jonassen of Australia during the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final between Australia and the Proteas at the SCG. Photos: EPA

one of which will take place in SA. Mlaba bowls left-arm spin, earning her the not so original nickname of “Leftie”. Perhaps over time, her friends and teammates will come up with something a little more inventive.

What they do recognise is the impact she has had on the team in just nine international matches, all in the T20 format. Laura Wolvaardt garnered all the attention from a Proteas perspective at the T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year, but it was Mlaba who finished that tournament as the SA team’s emerging star.

She opened the bowling as part of a strategy developed at the start of the competition to split up the team’s two potent quick bowlers, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, and as the tournament continued, she quickly grew into a potent threat with the new ball.

She mixed up her pace intelligently

and got the odd ball to spin.

She was named the International Newcomer of the Year by Cricket SA in the organisation’s annual awards in July and with the SA team set for a busy schedule once the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, Mlaba is likely to be a critical part of that team given the big events that are on the horizon.

“The year went so quickly,” said the KwaZulu-Natal spinner, who only made her international debut last September.

“It started out with me not being entirely sure if I could make it at the top level.”

There can be no doubts anymore.

The Proteas have two World Cups scheduled in 2022 – the 50-over tournament in New Zealand at the start of that year and then the T20 competition, in SA. Mlaba is set to be a crucial part of those events, and by that stage should have reached household status. [ 15 ]

CRICKET

Sizzling Nadine

Nadine de Klerk celebrates after taking the wicket of Rachael Haynes of Australia during the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final in Sydney.

Photo: EPA

Fearless Proteas all-rounder’s fire lights up career ahead

ZAAHIER ADAMS

BEN Stokes’ first autobiography is entitled Firestarter. It’s not hard to imagine when Nadine de Klerk gets down to chronicling her cricket story one day, it could have a similar title.

It’s not just the fact that De Klerk has red hair like Stokes, but rather that the Proteas rookie also fits the mould of an action-packed allrounder.

Like Stokes, De Klerk has that magical ability to make something happen every time she takes the ball [ 16 ]

or walks to the crease. Equally, there is no situation too daunting.

Take a T20 World Cup semi-final against powerhouse Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground for instance.

And that’s not even the half of it.

The deck was stacked even further with De Klerk only being told on the morning of the game that she was required to lace up. If that’s not enough to make a 20-year-old squirm, De Klerk was replacing a colossus of South African women’s cricket and her personal hero Marizanne Kapp.

“She’s (Marizanne) a real competitor. I remember her face when she couldn’t play in the semifinal and my heart broke for her because I know how much of an

impact player she is for our team”, said De Klerk.

“I have a lot of respect for her. If there is one player in the team I look up to it is her. I think she leads from the front brilliantly and I have always wanted to be like her.”

De Klerk’s accurate medium-pace lines and subtle change-ups saw her claim three Australian wickets that day. It was a performance worthy of propelling the Proteas into their first ever major ICC final. The fact that it was ultimately not enough was galling, particularly with De Klerk left stranded at the death with another hugely impressive youngster Laura Wolvaardt.

One thing for certain, though, is that the Proteas have discovered a worthy successor to the evergreen Kapp when they launch another trophy assault in 2022.

QUICK FACTS

JUDO

1.

Snyman is a big Springbok rugby fan. Before the 2019 World Cup final, she had two lines of advice for the Boks: ‘Do what you do best and you will win’ and ‘ ‘You just need to believe’ 2.

Snyman, a very talented netball player, accepted a netball bursary to study at Tuks

4.

She attended Hoërskool Florida in Johannesburg – the same school attended by Springbok players Elton Jantjies and Wahl Bartmann

Equally adept at both newaza (groundwork) and tachiwaza (standing fighting), Unelle Snyman pins her opponent on the mat in kesa-gatame.

Judoka grapples with life decisions Lockdown has given Unelle Snyman a different perspective on her sports career HERMAN GIBBS

SOMETIMES you have to make tough choices, no matter how much you love your sport. Even if it means missing out on the Olympic Games.

That’s the dilemma for 24-yearold Unelle Snyman, one of Africa’s leading judokas, as she ponders her Olympic participation next year.

Snyman won silver at the African Games in Rabat last year and gold at the African Open in Dakar. She

was on the verge of sealing Olympic qualification in the Under-78kg category in Morocco, but the event was cancelled in March.

However, the unscheduled break has allowed Snyman to think about where her career might take her, and about life generally. Despite the demanding training schedules, she is studying for a sports psychology degree.

“I consider myself a professional sportswoman. Thanks to Tuks (the University of Pretoria) and Judo

South Africa, I can do so,” said Snyman.

“But at some stage, I will have to face up to reality. There is no real money to be made as a judoka, not in South Africa anyway. I fully realise there is a life outside of sport.”

But Snyman is not yet ready to give up on judo. “The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics might still turn out to be a blessing in disguise. It gives me more time to train as well as think as to what to do with my life,” said Snyman.

[ 17 ]

SOCCER

MAMA-JOY supporting her favourite team at a PSL match between Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs at FNB Stadium.

Photo: BackpagePix

MAMA-JOY …

ONCE A PIRATE, ALWAYS A PIRATE Football led Pirates’ super fan to start her own business and travel the world [ 18 ]

SOCCER MINENHLE MKHIZE

JUST about everyone in South African football knows who “Mama-joy” is. Joyce Chauke loves Orlando Pirates, the club that she passionately supports. She is present wherever and whenever the Buccaneers play.

You will find her with all sorts of graphics and images painted on her face. That’s how much she loves her Buccaneers. Ironically, she was a Kaizer Chiefs fan in the 1980s.

“At home, they used to support Kaizer Chiefs.

My father was a Chiefs man through and through.

My whole family were Chiefs fans and we had an argument with my brother back then and I told him that I was going to support Pirates. I wanted to make him angry,” Chauke said.

“It was in 1989 when I started supporting Pirates and my love for the club grew from there.”

Her love for football has taken her to many countries in Africa and Europe. She has also travelled the length and breadth of South Africa because of football.

“I’ve been to the Women’s World Cup, the Olympic Games, Afcon, Caf Champions League matches away from home and the men’s World Cup. If it wasn’t for football, I wouldn’t be in those countries,” Chauke said.

But even the World Cup or Olympics will never match Mama-joy’s love for Pirates.

Siyabulela Loyilane. Photo: Twitter

AN AGENT OF CHANGE MINENHLE MKHIZE

THE desire to learn has made Siyabulela Loyilane a rising star among football agents – it’s an occupation dominated by men.

Loyilane is a founder of Shumba’s Academy and has managed some of the top players in South Africa.

Khama Billiat of Kaizer Chiefs was in her stable before crossing the road to Amakhosi from Mamelodi Sundowns.

Loyilane is also the chief executive of the National Football Supporter’s Association.

“What I like the most about player management is that it is the art of negotiation.

I’ve learnt a lot, especially about determining the value of a player. Bringing people around the table and conducting negotiations is very interesting. The last

deal that I did was Ricardo Versuur to TS Sporting,” Loyilane said.

Loyilane spoke about the challenges she faces.

“Agents are not respected.

It is even worse when you are a woman and people in society are quick to blame the agent,” she said.

“They are quick to say ‘players signed a bad contract and why didn’t you advise him’ on this when they don’t know the reason for the player taking that contract.

“People also forget that as an agent you are just an adviser, but the final decision lies with the player.”

Last year Loyilane was in Barcelona where she enrolled to study Masters in Football and Management Business. [ 19 ]

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