Coaches I’ve worked with: Is it because she’s a woman?

I know I have been profiling a lot of iconic individuals within the South African football fraternity on this page. The reason I’m doing this is so that we remember who is behind the wheel of football in this country. It is important to give people their flowers while they can still smell them, in recognition for their contribution to our Beautiful Game. There are so many others that are yet to be featured, but their time will come. This week, I have decided to profile a very powerful lady in our football, someone who has done so much for this game and continues to make an impact. She’s impacted football even from the rural areas and her name and contribution is well-documented even at CAF. She hails from Limpopo and her name is Ria Ledwaba. For those who don’t know, this woman used to own a professional football team called Ria Stars. This is a team that produced a number of players, most of whom went on to make it big in football. I’m talking about the likes of Lucky Lekgwathi and Thapelo Liau, just to mention two. This is a very humble and quiet person. She’s always factual and truthful. If you were to get a chance to have a conversation with her, all she’s about is football and not politics. The vision and how the structures should be operating. She will be talking about how football should be run and what we need to do to get our teams going again. You will have goosebumps listening to Mama Ria talking football because of her passion for the sport. Whenever I meet up with her, whether at functions or events, there is always a warm hug coming my way. After that, she will ask me about the family, and

I would also do the same. Believe it or not, there is so much I have gained from having conversations with Mama Ria over the years. Football problems and solutions as well as ideas she has for the game. This being a democratic country, everyone has their own opinions that they are entitled to. This woman addresses issues in a calm, aggressive way because you can feel the honesty and passion whenever she makes a point. She’s seen and experienced it all in football, having been an administrator and club owner for years. She’s been with SAFA, CAF and running her Foundation, and that tells you everything you need to know about her experience. I’m talking about someone who gets regular invites to African seminars and she gets to do presentations on African football, not just South African football. Do you want to tell me she doesn’t carry enough weight to be given an opportunity to express her feelings and utilise the experience she’s gained over the years in the football fraternity? Is it because she’s a woman? Time will tell! I’m not saying she should be our SAFA President, but if she’s good enough, why not? There’s no discrimination when it comes to power, hence I mentioned that this is a democratic country. If it is, indeed, then we should look at how we do things. Funny enough, as experienced and knowledgeable as she is, she’s not in the structures that run our football, yet we have, in our structures, people working against the development of football in this country. Unfortunately, one of them has exposed himself on social media to prove that he doesn’t understand what development and leadership is all about. This is not about politics, but if you were to compare Mama Ria against some of the people in our structures, it is chalk and cheese. However, politics just don’t want to allow her into the system. I was disrespected by an NEC member and he doesn’t even come close to Mama Ria in terms of achievements and contribution to our football. Our football, except for the PSL, is not progressing, but it is collapsing. That’s because deserving people are being sidelined because of political reasons. I get so emotional and frustrated! This powerful woman is being deprived an opportunity to express her expertise in our football. Nothing lasts forever, we all know that. Legends went to Namibia and they were hailed, respected and celebrated, and this reminded me of Mama Ria because the legends are very close to her heart.