Sibongile Marokana is a burgeoning chairperson rising up the South African football ladder and her fast-growing presence in the spotlight has left many wondering what she is all about. Here's a look!
The story
Although quite an unfortunate thing to say, football remains a male-dominated industry, with this also being the case at the boardroom level, as women remain underrepresented in such spaces. A trailblazer of note, Marokana was born in Soweto and raised in Tembisa, where Bafana Bafana's star Themba Zwane and Bayana Bayana no.1 Andile Dlamini hail from.
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To football lovers, many know her for her role as the chairlady of the ABC Mostepe League outfit Lerumo Lions FC. Her constant presence on the sidelines paints a picture of an extremely committed and passionate person about her work.
"Football has always been with me. I grew up in a home filled with Kaizer Chiefs fans and I used to watch a lot of games. Doctor Khumalo was my favourite player back then," she told Football Stage on YouTube.
"I have always had it in me I used to play while growing up and I was very boyish at the time. So I played soccer in the streets, at school we also tried having a girls' team but it didn't work out because they preferred other sports like hockey instead.
"I just love helping people and I noticed a gap in football so I wanted to close that space by helping many young people who need a platform. This is what drove me to own a team."
Marokana also runs a non-profit organisation called Afrikaufel Foundation, whose mission is to give back to poverty-stricken communities, particularly in the North West where she and her club are based.
The businessman is also well-versed across various non-football industries, as she's admitted to loving agriculture, while she also runs a security firm called Lerumo Lasechaba Security. It further appears that she has the skill of using a firearm, as she plays an active role in some of the day-to-day activities.
Marokana deserves massive credit for the work she's done so far and the road to the top seems well within reach for a driven and compassionate individual of her caliber.
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