BLOEMFONTEIN – Pioneering woman Mamosina Sinki Leshabane was capped with a special feather for making an impact in sports, the coveted MEC’s Lifetime Achiever Award, at the annual Free State Sport Awards ceremony held on Saturday 15 August. Zanele Sifuba, MEC for Sport, bestowed the honour on the trailblazing community builder of her generation, recognising her positive impact in football.
Leshabane has her footprint firmly planted in football in the Free State and South Africa through her club, Mangaung Unite FC, currently campaigning in the ABC Motsepe League in the province.
She broke barriers in the game of football, managing a successful team in a historically male-dominated industry. Making this gesture one to last a lifetime for Leshabane is the fact that she was recognised while still alive. Leshabane’s sheer willpower and resilience place her at the coalface of the male-dominated sport of football and community building through her enterprise, Mahube Tumelo Projects.

Her return to the football scene after a brief break demonstrates her incredible willpower and resilience as a prominent sports executive. She is not defined by her club’s narrowly missed promotion on numerous occasions to the professional ranks, the National First Division, but by her legacy of creating opportunities in the game and making it possible for young men and women to realise their dreams. Her legacy extends to philanthropy. Leshabane possesses in abundance the qualities needed to navigate the complex administrative and financial landscapes of South African football – landscapes that require immense mental toughness and a refusal to back down from systemic adversity.

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