Passionate Mbatha enjoying her job in Morocco

By Andile & Mandla Dladla

It is not only Banyana Banyana that are having a ball in the fields of Morocco during the on-going African Women Cup of Nations, but The action at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) on the field of play but the team’s media officer is also having the time of her life in the North African country.

Sinethemba Mbatha is a media officer for Banyana Banyana and is also a sports presenter for SABC Sport who is revelling under the success of Banyana Banyana deeply involved in disseminating news emanating from the tournament to our living rooms via television.

“I am a passionate sport loving girl from a small town in KwaZulu-Natal called Escort,” said Mbatha when we spoke to her from Morocco this week. “My whole life revolves around football.

“I do what I do with love because I was ordained for it. God chose me for it, I worked hard for it and I’ve always wanted to be much more than just a spectator.

“Apparently from the time I was a very young girl, my dad reminds me that every time we’d go to the stadiums I’d always tell him: ‘I am not meant to sit on the stands, I am meant to get involved.’

“That is who I am and I am an involved person with the South African Football Association and South African Broadcasting Corporation.”

It is the first time that Mbatha has been involved in a major tournament as Media Officer. She was supposed to have attended the Tokyo Olympics in that capacity but circumstances that she would rather not delve into, prevented her.

“I think people don’t understand but the workload is a lot more than meets the eye. We work on schedules and with CAF being guided by certain rules, you have to be on your toes at all times.

“It has been overall beautiful behind the scenes. I have given people a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes on our Banyana Banyana page on Facebook and so far it has been a lot of fun.”

The experience that comes with a continental competition is really unmatched. You learn so much about football administration but also about yourself and you develop and grow.

“I am the happiest I’ve ever been with my job and that’s because I prayed so much for this opportunity. I just wanted to deliver excellence when we come here and so far I think we are on the right track.

“It’s absolutely fantastic to see the girls playing games and getting to do all the fun stuff because these are the people I’ve been with for close to two months now and so you become like a close-knit family.”

They say nothing comes easy in life and with hard work there had been rewards for Sne who has been able to travel to a few more countries outside South Africa.

“The best country that I’ve visited so far has to be the Netherlands,” she reveals. “I learned so much and the way that Europeans do things and stick to the basics in terms of football has been invaluable.”

But returning from the Hague and coming to Morocco she has been blown away by the football growth and infrastructures in the North African country.

The High Performance Complexe Mohamed VI De Football is unmatched anywhere in the world and even most experts agree that it is a first class facility anywhere in the world.

“It is so inspiring and what everyone wants for their country. It makes us realize that we can do so much better as a country as well. We also need to change the face of our local football before we can even change the face of African football at large.

“Everyone that knows me is aware that I am not affiliated with any team, it is my father who is in love with Kaizer Chiefs and hence I call it “my dad’s team”. I just support Chelsea and Banyana Banyana.

“I am in love with every team in the Hollywood bets Super League. I would love to see the growth of it until it gets to a top professional structure because there is just so much talent in that league.

“It is very important for me to watch all sports because I grew up loving all kinds of sporting codes. There is nothing else that I know outside my life besides sports.

“Hopefully when I die I wish to be remembered as a crazy sport loving person. I used to play netball when I was in grade Eleven and my parents were not happy with my marks so they made me choose between sports and academic aspirations.”

Mbatha admits that initially she had ambitions of getting into medicine but somehow she off-ramped along the way and ventured into sport broadcasting where she is having the time of her life.