Just
listening to Dikeledi Makhongoana’s story, it feels like she is destined to be
involved in the world of sport. This Northriding resident, originally from
Kroonstad in the Free State,
was an armchair sports fan from an early age, spending hours in front of the TV
with her grandmother.
This love
for sport had its down side – Dikeledi lost all her friends – but she still had
her sport. As a teenager, living with her father in the Vaal,
she accompanied him when he attended sports events at stadiums, deepening her
love for sport.
Now Dikeledi
finds herself involved in the world of sports broadcasting, as a sports
presenter on Lesedi. Her first big break came as a listener of the community
radio station in the Vaal, VUT FM. After being
invited as a guest on the station’s sports, she then got a call offering her a
job.
After
spending three years working at the community station without a salary,
Dikeledi landed a job at KAYAFM, after which, she left to join Lesedi FM in
September 2006. Its been a significant step up for Dikeledi, who has worked
hard to earn these opportunities to further her career as a sports broadcaster.
She has many
dreams, including being one of the few women commentating at the 2010 FIFA
World Cup in South Africa.
Dikeledi’s favourite sports broadcasters include gsport Editor and South Africa’s
first female cricket commentator, Kass Naidoo, SAfm Gameplan host, Kwena Moabelo.
She is
uncompromising about the need for South Africa to take women’s sport
more seriously and back talk with action, and treated sportswomen fairly.
Dikeledi’s greatest ambition is to have her own girls’ sport academy and
development centres to promote health and well being among rural teenage girls.
This is a
go-getter, someone who has the potential to contribute so much to South Africa
because of her passion to make a difference.
Introducing
gsport’s April 2008 Woman in Media, the sports crazy Dikeledi Makhongoana!
Dikeledi, how did you get into sports broadcasting?
I was a
listener of the community radio station in the Vaal(VUT
FM). Then one Saturday I was invited as a guest on their sport show and the
next thing I got call from the programmes manager, who called me and told me to
come and work at the station. As they say the rest is history.
Where does your passion for sport come from?
It
definitely comes from my grandmother. Weekend for me was sport days and I ended
up with no friends because I didn’t play with them but rather enjoyed sitting
with my granny watching T.V
At the age
of 15, I moved to the Vaal to live with my dad
while I was doing my Grade 11 and I
would get to go to stadiums with him, that also made me realize how much
I love sport.
How long have you been with Lesedi FM, what is your
role on the station and what do you enjoy most about your job?
I have been
with Lesedi fm from 1st September 2006 till now. I present the sport
bulletins on weekdays and am a part time sport show host during weekends. I
love my job so much that the people at work are like my family while I am away
from my biological family.
What is your favourite sport to report on?
I would
definitely say I love most of them but to be particular I have grown to love
boxing so dearly. I never liked it at first because I did not understand the
sport, but now that I’ve learnt so much I can even speak the language like a
SOUTHPAW (a boxer who uses his/her left hand more often). At least I taught you
guys something today. Ha! Ha! Ha!
What have been some of your major highlights as a
sports broadcasting?
From working
at the community station for 3 yrs without a salary to going to a commercial
station(Kaya)and moving to the mother body of broadcasting in SA (SABC) Lesedi
fm.
Also it will
be going around the country and especially on my first year I went to Algeria
for the All Africa Games
The last one
so far will definitely be chosen as April Woman in Media gsport.
How do you deal with challenges as woman in sports
broadcasting?
Firstly by
making sure that I work so hard to be recognized as a hard worker and not as an
empty tin with a lot of noise Secondly I make my work speak for me not my
physical looks, so that I can get respect for what I am doing.
Who are your favourite sports broadcasters?
With no
doubt, when I saw this woman, I just decided what I want to do with my life,
and that is Kass Naidoo. This is the woman that made history in my life: the
first woman I saw broadcasting while I was growing up, and not soccer for a
change.
The other
one will definitely be Kwena Marara Moabelo for believing in me, taking from a
community station to a commercial and teaching me everything he thought I need
to know in different sporting codes and allowing me to grow when he saw that im
now ready. HE had also worked hard to get to where he is now. Hola
Leshebeshebe…
How can the state of women’s sport be further
improved?
If only, as
women, we can get support from the Parliamentry sports portfolio committee for
making sure that we have women’s leagues for all the different sporting codes.
People need
to understand that we don’t want to be treated like "women" but like people of
Mzantsi. If we can have international belts like WBC, WBF for men, then why not
for women boxers?
Please lets
stop empty promises like Women leagues are going to be open since 1994 till
now, Just count how old will they be(those leagues) if it happened then.
What advice do you have for women keen to break into
sports broadcasting?
It’s not
about it being easy. If you want it you can make it. Only if you know what you
want and what you’re passionate about. Work
hard to leave a lasting impression.
What are your favourite spectator sports?
It will
obviously be soccer spectators as they make sure that they support and make
sure that the teams knows when there happy and not.eg.Celtic supporters for
pushing management to reinstate their coach Khabo Zondo.
Who are your favourite sports stars?
Natalie Du
Toit is my favourite sport star cause she has proved that u don’t have to be
physically able to make it in this world, it only needs your love and passion
for what you do to be successful.
Secondly it
will be Bongani Mwelase the Boxer. This youngster has proved that as a sport
star you must have education and practice what u preach. Without a doubt he has
made people interested in boxing again. These two youngsters are the future of
sport because of discipline and hard work.
How do you keep fit?
Believe you
me I don’t go to gym, but I try to walk every day some distance and every
Monday -Thursday I run 5km. I think that enough for a young girl like me.
Ha!Ha!Ha!
How do you relax?
I love my
sleep and I don’t compromise, other than that I read a lot, listen to gospel
music and of course I’m an indoor person – too private. People say I’m boring
for my age, but I say its okay to bore them, than to be all over people’s faces
with nothing positive to do at that time.
gsport strives to celebrate femininity. What role
does it play in your life and how do you celebrate your womanhood?
It plays a
very important role cause if it wasn’t for them I would not be here and I
celebrate it by always thanking God for trusting us(women)enough to give us the
role of bearing Kids, and I usually sit with my elders to learn women’s culture
and do’ and don’ts of a woman.
What inspires you?
I get
inspired by people who come from nothing to be something in this world,
recognized and unrecognized. Seeing a baby born, growing to being a toddler, to
being a teenager, then a young Adult, then an Adult. That inspires me to work
hard cause tomorrow I won’t be like today.
What’s the best career advice you’ve been given?
You must go
out to get things cause they won’t come to you and at times you also must force
things to happen and make sure you take a good care of them when you get them.
What do you hope to be doing in 2010?
I really
want to be one of the few women that will be commentating during the FIFA World
Cup. I will also be managing a few sport stars, making sure that they make the
right choices during their career days so that when they retire they can reap
what they sow.
Who are your role models?
My late
grand mother (may her soul rest in peace) who taught me how to a strong woman
and a go getter. My mother for being
my pillar of strength and making a decision to keep me even when times were
hard with no dad existing but still living. That’s a woman I always think about
before every decision I have to take.
What makes your proud to be a South African?
This is a
constitutional country and it really gives us freedom to do most of the things
including speaking. The way this country is run we are very proud to also have
a girly magazine like this one, gsport. PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN MAGAZINE!
What is your greatest ambition?
To have my
own girls’ sport academy and development centres to promote the well being of
teenage girls. All these things will operate in the rural areas as I am a rural
girl myself, and one thing’s for sure, rural girls are not given opportunities.
They only know that women belong in the kitchen and that killed too many
talents.
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