Women in Sport, Arts and Culture

Ms Tshimangadzo Esther Sinyegwe: Traditional musician and dancer

Ms Beauty Ngxongo: Weaving Wisdom into Art

Ms Kutlwano Monyai: Visual Artist

Ms Kimathi Mafafo: Visual Artist

Ms Cynthia Tshaka: First Black Female Sport Broadcaster

Ms Joyce Kungwane: A professional Boxing Promoter

 

We celebrate vho-Tshimangadzo Esther Sinyegwe, a teacher, a traditional musician and dancer, an award-winning recording artist.

Esther Sinyagwe Above all, she is a tireless activist for her beloved Venda culture. From Vhutalu, her home village in Venda, in the Vhembe District of Limpopo, she throws herself daily into the struggle not only for her culture to survive, but to thrive.

“I believe that you need to take the knowledge you have and share it with younger generations. By sharing with them, I am giving them a cultural legacy.” ~ vho Tshimangadzo Esther Sinyegwe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We celebrate Beauty Ngxongo: Weaving Wisdom into Art!

Beauty NgoxongoShe is a master weaver whose exquisite isichumo baskets can be found in collections around the world. Hailing from Hlabisa in rural KwaZulu-Natal, she has elevated traditional craft to a contemporary artform – becoming a design pioneer in the process. Using only natural materials and plant-based dyes, Ma’Beauty exhibits a mastery of technique and pattern, alongside a deep connectedness with her work. For flying the flag high for indigenous craft art as a catalyst for innovation, she can truly be counted among South Africa’s living human treasures.

“I count myself very lucky as I was taught by my father as a young girl, went on to make a living out of baskets and was exposed to the overseas market.” ~ Beauty Ngxongo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

We celebrate South African Visual Artist, Kutlwano Monyai:

Kutlwano-MonyaiKutlwano Monyai (b. 1996) was born in Limpopo and resides in Pretoria. She has recently completed a postgraduate diploma in Fine and Applied Arts at the Tshwane University of Technology. As an artist, Monyai has been part of several group exhibitions and local art fairs, including the GenXis group exhibition in 2018 and KASRP exhibition in 2019 (hosted at the Pretoria Art Museum). In 2021, she exhibited at the Bag Factory in a show titled Summer Salon 30th Anniversary. She exhibited with UNTITLED Collective at the Turbine Art Fair in 2019; earlier that year, she completed a residency at Modern Arts Projects South Africa in the Karoo. In 2021, she was awarded the Young Woman Studio Residency (YWSR) at the Bag Factory.

Her debut solo exhibition, titled Lefeloboiketlo (A place of rest), is currently on view at Oliewenhuis Art Museum until 8 September 2024 in the Annex Gallery.

In her debut solo exhibition, Kutlwano Monyai draws inspiration from her upbringing and domestic, cultural, economic, and spiritual environment to narrate stories from her maternal lineage. She re-imagines and re-creates functional items by crocheting, weaving, and braiding plastics, creating tapestries and soft sculptural installations. These functional items that she references act as gestures of care, mindfulness, existence, and as archives that hold memories, stories and experiences related to acts of service from her maternal lineage, aesthetic influences, and generational knowledge.

Oliewenhuis Art Museum is a satellite museum of the #DSACAgency @National Museum, and its mission is to collect, conserve and exhibit works of art which represent the heritage of South African art on behalf of and to the advantage and edification of the entire community.

This museum is located at 16 Harry Smith Street, Bloemfontein and is open to the public from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00, and on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 09:00 and 16:00

 

 

We celebrate South African Visual Artist, Kimathi Mafafo

Kimathi MafafoKimathi Mafafo, a multidisciplinary artist working in embroidery, oil painting, and installation, has recently had her work purchased by the Oliewenhuis Art Museum for their permanent collection through Art Bank of South Africa. This acquisition marks a significant milestone in her career, as her art is now recognized as part of South Africa's cultural heritage. Born in the Northern Cape, Mafafo's creations contrast with her arid hometown, featuring lush greenery and sensuous drapery.

Mafafo's artistic journey began at the William Humphreys Museum in Kimberley, where she was captivated by 16th and 17th century Dutch still-life paintings. Under the guidance of her father G. Rocky Mafafo, a respected water-colourist, she developed a technically exacting approach. She holds a National Diploma in Fine Arts from the College of Cape Town (2007) and in Film and Video from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) (2016).

Her work celebrates the black female form, inspiring women to embrace their worth and beauty. Mafafo's earlier pieces, partly autobiographical, explore a woman finding strength in nature and herself. In her latest series, Voiceless, she collaborates with Ghanaian tailor Mustapha Saadu on embroideries that address women feeling powerless due to cultural expectations.

"These embroideries tell dark stories of women trapped under the weight of tradition," Mafafo explains. "My work shows that she only has to leave, and then she will realize that there is more in life."

 

We celebrate a phenomenal mbokodo, Ms Cynthia Tshaka – First Black Female Sport Broadcaster

Cynthia TshakaCynthia Tshaka is known for her work as a social activist and as the first Black Female Sport Broadcaster, having started broadcasting Sport in 1995, hosting Laduma, basketball, boxing, swimming, athletics, rugby, soccer and cricket. She worked on All Africa Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics games. She broadcasted the Two Oceans and Comrades Ultra Marathon for 10 years, working with Athletics royalty such as Zithulele Sinqe, Willie Mtolo and Xolile Yawa just to mention a few. These are just some of the many Sport Programs she anchored at SABC Sport in all channels, Channel 1, 2 and 3.

Cynthia perhaps captured the pain of Africa when SA lost the bid to Host the 2006 Soccer World Cup with her crying face plastered all over South Africa TV screens and the African Continent. Cynthia Broadcasted live to the world in 2006 from Zurich, when SA got the nod to host the Soccer World Cup in 2010,needless to say she also worked in the 2010 soccer world cup around SA talking to all fans. In the early 2000s, She started broadcasting Sport on Radio 2000 with Louis Karpass, Sbusiso Mseleku and Michael Abrahamson.

Over her 24 odd years in broadcasting she has interviewed a plethora of Sport Legends such as but not limited to Naas Botha, Josiah Tugwane, Dr Ali Bacher, Morne Du Plessis, Martina Navratilova, Daley Thompson, Edwin Moses, Lennox Lewis, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Weah, Brian Lara, Abedi Pele, Nadia Comaneci ,Gary Player, Doctor Khumalo and Lucas Radebe, these are just a few greatest of all time athletes amongst many athletes and administrators across the sporting codes she has interviewed over these years. In 2005 Cynthia was again the first African female to be appointed as ambassador in the Global Laureus Sport For good Foundation. She became a voting judge in the Global World Sport Awards. In 2012 Cynthia was the SA Team Ambassador to the London Olympics Games.

After getting her Hon.in Gender Studies, in 2015 Cynthia hosted and produced "Woman Sports Talk" show on Super Sport 4. The focused on promoting women's sports and empowering female athletes. Through this platform, she engaged in discussions about gender equality in sports, highlights the achievements of women in athletics, and advocates for greater representation and support for female athletes in South Africa and beyond. Unfortunately due to the lack of sponsorship, the program had to be stopped but she is vowing to find new sponsors and bring it back as it was the only women in sport program advocating for equality and equity in sport for women and men. She is now the longest serving Momentum GSPORT Awards Judge.

Cynthia continues to assist women in sport in anyway she can, carrying on from her early days at the SABC, where she found and groomed Vaylen Kirtley to be a sport broadcaster that she is today, if it was not for Cynthia no one would have heard of Vaylen. As we celebrate 30 years of democracy and closing the Women’s month we acknowledge and salute Cynthia Tshaka for the work she has done and continues to do in Sport.

 

We celebrate a phenomenal mbokodo, Ms Joyce Kungwane: A professional Boxing Promoter 

 

Joyce KungwaneJoyce Kungwane is a prominent figure in the professional boxing industry,renowned for her expertise in promoting high-profile boxing events and managing top-tier athletes. With a strong record in event organization,marketing,and athletes management,Kungwane has established herself as a leading boxing promoter. 

Event Promotion and Management: Organizing and overseeing major boxing events, including international, title and celebrity exhibition fights or matches. Coordinates with venues, sponsors and media to ensure successful event execution.Develops marketing strategies to maximise event visibility and audience engagement.

Athlete Represenatation: Manages relationships with professional boxers, including contract negotiations including contract negotiations and career development.

Strategic Partnership: Establishing and maintaining partnership with sponsors, media outlets and other stakeholders. Securing sponsorship deals and managing sponsorship activation. 

Career Highlight: Successfully promoted numerous high-profile boxing matches including world title fights,all females boxers and celebrity boxing events.Developed and executed innovative marketing campaigns that significantly increased event attendance and media coverage. Built a strong network of industry contacts including top athletes ,sponsors and media professionals.

She formed part of the Momentum Steering Committee for the “She Owns Her Success Summit” in 2023 and 2024.Her involvement in the steering committee made it possible for us to see the top athletes and administrators from different sporting codes.The likes of Banyanabanyana goalkeeper, the Netball coaches, Rugby coaches and admnistrators as well as boxing administrators which actually created a space for the engagement with “Women in Boxing” which resulted in the signing of the MOU with gsport4girls. Joyce Kungwane’s expertise in boxing, combined with her strategic vision and extensive industry connections ,positions her as a key player in the professional boxing world.

Academic achievements as discussed:
- Public Relations Management-- 
National Diploma with UNISA
- Sport Psychology-UNISA
- Post Graduate Diploma-Labour Law with UJ
- Dispute Resolution in Sport-AFSA

Contact Information: Email:joyce.kungwane@gmail.com/tlbboxing@gmail.com
Website: www.tlbboxingpromotions.co.za

#WomenInArts #WomenInVisualArts #WomenInSports

#Economy4Women

#WomenEconomicPower

#WomensMonth2024

 

 

 

Date Published