Golf, chess and women on top of their game
From an athlete who trailblazed the way for her Olympian son to a pint-sized chess pro, the spotlight shone brightly on our sporting sheroes at this year’s instalment of SA’s longest-running women’s sport awards.
The Momentum gsport awards were held last Saturday evening at a venue I’d not been to before, the Deck @ Wanderers in Illovo, Johannesburg.
Arriving at the giant marquee propped up in the shadows of the Bidvest
Wanderers Stadium, I am greeted by the woman who puts the whole shindig together, Kass Naidoo — who many of you will know as the country’s very first female cricket commentator.
Kass, though, opted to ignore her own event dress code of “formal” or “glamorous” in exchange for a workmode white blouse and black skirt. Boring!
Looking a lot more awards-night appropriate were those glam besties, Melanie Bala and Nothemba Madumo.
On to Carte Blanche’s Devi Sankaree Govender who, along with husband
Perumal Moodley, was there to support their 18-year-old golfing ace daughter, Kaiyuree.
Devi tells me that the fam found themselves in a wardrobe dilemma after Kaiyuree was nominated in two categories: emerging athlete and school sports star of the year.
“She doesn’t own a dress,” said the doorstopping TV reporter.
They managed to find the shimmering gold gown the pretty rising golfer wore at special-occasion clothing store Bride & Co.
Then it’s meeting someone who I mistook for a soapie star but who turned out to be the Gauteng MEC for sport. That’s Mbali Hlophe, who might have been in the job for only two months so far, but who can teach her peers a thing or two about style in her Quiteria gown with voluminous tulle sleeves.
Elsewhere I say hello to sportscasters Vaylen Kirtley and Romy Titus (nominated in the women in TV category) before heading into the hall where the awards, officiated by Pearl Shongwe, took place.
On stage, Kass tells us that this year marks the first time since the awards started 14 years ago that they are able to give out prize money, thanks to the support of their sponsors, including short-term insurance company Momentum.
During his speech, sports minister Nathi Mthethwa acknowledges the tragic death of boxing champ Leighandre Jegels, whose murder, along with that of Cape Town varsity student Uyinene Mrwetyana, brought home the gender-based violence plaguing our country.
On to the winners, and Kaiyuree missed out to that eight-year-old chess whizz Minentle Miya (away in China for a tournament) in the school sports star category, while Romy was pipped by SuperSport’s Lindiwe Dube.
The night’s big winners were Banyana Banyana star Thembi Kgatlana, who won athlete of the year, while Mount Everest summiteer Saray Khumalo landed the woman of the year gong.
The night’s moving moment was when veteran athlete Odessa Swartz was inducted into the gsport hall of fame.
“It is an honour for me to be one of those to plant the seeds for the generation that is now on the world stage,” said the mother of our gold Olympian Wayde van Niekerk, and who was denied the right to compete internationally because of apartheid.