In last week’s edition of gsport Twitter Space Thursday, Lonwabo Nkohla chatted to rising sport presenter Karabo Peter and gsport Intern Jessica De Lira to reflect on International Women’s Day and their respective career paths.
Speaking on the gsport International Women’s Day brunch celebration which took place in Johannesburg, De Lira said: “It was nice to be surrounded by a group of women who have the same ideas and outlooks as I do. It is nice to know that you have a group of women who are always behind you and supporting you in everything that you do.”
Apart from her internship, De Lira is also a hockey coach.
“It actually started before lockdown, after coming back from overseas, I decided to fight for what I want. I then approached a high school just after schools opened. And after sometime, I was granted an opportunity to be able to coach at a really good school.”
As a woman in sport, De Lira was asked how she deals with having to uplift her team when things are not necessarily going according to plan.
“You could potentially teach these girls a certain skill that they would take with them throughout their life and careers. I always try to teach the girls discipline and have them remember to show up for themselves and the team. If you are not there, a piece of the puzzle is missing. On those tough days when the girls have given it their all but they still lose the game, I always point out to them that it really is just this one game. It does not necessarily determine everything else that is still to come. I have learnt a lot from the team as their coach.”
To wrap up the conversation Jessica spoke about her experience of being part of the gsport newsroom.
“It has really been good. It is amazing to be surrounded by a group of women who are always there to pick you up, when you are not feeling your best. Being able to go to these various women’s sport events is truly amazing and I am always blown away. The platform that Kass (Naidoo) has created with gsport, I’m not sure she is truly aware what she has created for us as interns and those working for gsport. It is such a great opportunity and I cannot wait to see gsport grow.”
Peter, who was also in attendance at the lunch, spoke on her experience being surrounded by the gsport Team.
“Meeting up with like-minded people in the industry was really great and it was such a good way to get a reality check on where women’s sport in South Africa and where we are trying to head to.”
Speaking on how she is finding the broadcasting industry so far, the Wits University student said: “It’s a learning experience. It’s not a linear journey. When I first got into journalism, I had this tunnel vision of wanting to be just a writer. I then decided to audition for a community radio station and I honestly did not know that I’d want to go into broadcasting until I got there.”
Looking at the significance of what International Women’s day means, Peters added that, “International Women’s day means celebrating women across all aspects. It’s a day where you get to reflect on how far women’s sports has come in the country in terms of participation, coverage and support.”
With the previous statement in mind, the Sports Presenter mentioned that, we can do more by “simply going to watch a women’s game or tournament. Community radio stations can focus on the events happening around them and not just the big one’s that everyone knows and talks about.”
Wrapping up the conversation Jessica added that the role she wants to play in closing the visibility gap is, “creating the opportunity for girls to have access to the right resources and the various sports. I would like to get more involved with organizations that create awareness on talents and athletes that are yet to be discovered and people who cannot afford it.
While Peters spoke on how she would like to contribute as a young black woman in this space.
“It has now become a space that a lot of woman are now starting to venture into and that is absolutely amazing. I still want to do more work with disadvantage athletes especially girls, who are unable to participate because of the lack of funds. I would also love to do more coverage in our very own communities first.”
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