Over the few years we have been going here at All Things Jabu, we have often delighted in the performances of various South Africans. Included in that lot were tons of incredible women. We have spent time with various SA Hockey Women, with Lee Ann Pace our incredible golfer, with Tiffany Kruger and Bridgitte Hartley, with Kate Roberts and more. What it is safe to say is that we are extremely proud to support South Africans who are doing us proud on the World stage, be it men or women.
But its women in focus for this article and its women who are honoured through the brilliance of gsport for girls, the brainchild of Kass Naidoo, herself seen as a pioneer for women in sport. You might remember that we wrote about the gsport awards last year and Jabu was invited to attend again this year. That in itself was an honour.
The awards are an opportunity for the best Women in South African sport to be honoured for their outstanding achievements throughout the year. This is only possible through the exceptional sponsors and specifically that of title sponsor Spar and the brilliant host, the Wanderers Club. In 2013 there were more votes than ever cost for the gsport awards and the winners were fully deserving of their selections.
The highlight of the awards for me was the brilliance of Frith van der Merwe, someone from my own home town, who brought a sophisticated level of class and humour in accepting her induction into the gsport Hall of Fame. Frith of course is a hero for many and a particular hero of mine, which makes a lot of sense when you remember my affinity towards the Comrades Marathon.
Mapaseka Makhanya also crowned an incredible successful week for herself as she coupled her SA Sports Awards win with the gsport award for athlete of the year. Mapasexy, as she is known on twitter, has become a household name in 2013 and was able to get herself nominated in the SA Sports Star category recently, a category often left for the men.
The gsport awards took 10 minutes to completely outshine the SA Sports Awards with the kind class that was so often lacking from our now “flagship” ceremony. This was not about the money, it was not about a political statement, it was not about favourites. The gsport awards were about class in performance and recognizing it with style. Congratulations to all the winners, nominees and all the sponsors. gsport is definitely something that makes us proud to be South African.
Full list of 2013 SPAR gsport Awards Winners:
Awards Category: Award Winner Volunteer of the Year: Morizane Boyes Sports Federation of the Year: WPGA of South Africa Sponsor of the Year: Momentum South Africa gsport Special Recognition Award: Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula gsport Hall of Fame Award: Frith van der Merwe gsport Style Star Award: Minnie Dlamini gsport Woman in Media Award: Dikeledi Makhongoana gsport Woman of the Year: Marlize Jordaan gsport Coach of the Year: Dominique Philippopoulos gsport Up and Coming Athlete of the Year: Nathania van Niekerk gsport Athlete with Disability Award: KG Montjane SPAR gsport Athlete of the Year: Mapaseka Makhanya