Banyana and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies goalkeeper, Andile Dlamini won the prestigious Momentum Athlete of the Year award at the 18th edition of Africa’s foremost women’s sport awards at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg on Tuesday night.
Dlamini, whose accolades include earning Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup Of Nations, was one of a host of football winners at the 2023 Momentum gsport Awards.
WAFCON Champions, Banyana Banyana won Team of the Year for the second year in a row, after securing their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title, as well as becoming the first team in South Africa to reach the Round of 16 in a Fifa World Cup.
The 2023 Momentum Athlete of the Year goes to Banyana Banyana and Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies goalkeeper, Andile Dlamini, whose impact as an ambassador and player is undeniable!! Congratulations, Andile!! #gsport18 #SheOwnsHerSuccess #PowerOfRecognition @SAFA_net @Banyana_Banyana pic.twitter.com/xVLWxuPzHQ
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 12, 2023
CAF-winning coach, Desiree Ellis, was crowned Coach of the Year after taking the senior women's national team to continental glory as well as making history at the 2023 Fifa World Cup showpiece.
Desiree Ellis made history in a whirlwind year, securing Banyana Banyana's first-ever Women’s African Cup of Nations title and leading them to the FIFA Women’s World Cup. She wins the Coach of the Year honours!! #gsport18 #SheOwnsHerSuccess #PowerOfRecognition @descaptain pic.twitter.com/9qI8ZhSS5L
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 12, 2023
The headline sponsor of Banyana Banyana, SASOL, was awarded The Nielsen Sports South Africa Sponsor of the Year, for its pioneering support of the national women’s football team.
Current World Record holder for the 1 500m, mile, and 5 000m, Faith Kipyegon, is having a year to remember. A winner of the DP WORLD African Woman in Sport award adds to her endless list of accolades.
Kgothatso Montjane, the most celebrated athlete on the Momentum gsport stage, shattered the glass ceiling when she won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open in the wheelchair doubles category.
She also triumphed in the same category at the French Riviera Open. Those heroics have earned her the Brand South Africa Para Sport Star of the Year.
In 2023, Kgothatso Montjane became the first South African female to win a Grand Slam title since 1981 when she clinched the 2023 Roland Garros Wheelchair Doubles. Her outstanding achievements earns her the Brand SA Para Sport Star of the Year award!! #gsport18 #SheOwnsHerSuccess pic.twitter.com/BaivzuPSJ2
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 12, 2023
Montjane's agent and a trailblazer in her own right Emy Casaletti-Bwalya from Optimize Agency prevailed in the Woman in PR and Sponsorship category.
Natasha Petersen, a prominent Events and Logistics manager, played a pivotal role in successfully organising major tournaments, including both the men's and women's Fifa World Cups, along with the ICC T20 Women's World Cup. As a result of her outstanding contributions, she has been honoured as the Telkom Woman of the Year.
Leila Steyn-Daku hit top honours to seal her first gsport accolade, the Global Woman in Sport award. She broke new ground, becoming the first black female representative from South Africa to secure a permanent position within the International Cricket Council.
Cricket South Africa kicked off The Year of Women's Sport by bringing us two World Cups: the inaugural ICC U19 T20 World Cup and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
It does not end there, the Federation of the Year winner, has made great strides in improving the women's game. South Africans witnessed history as the Proteas Women played in the country's first-ever ICC final at a sold-out Newlands Stadium.
The media categories are always a nail-biting affair, and these were the women that stood out above the rest: Lethabo Kganyago is the 2023 Mail & Guardian Woman in Print winner, while Vusiwe Ngcobo walked away with the SuperSport Woman in TV accolade. Rachel Makhura, one of the biggest past winners on the gsport stage was crowned in the Woman in Radio category.
The winner of the SuperSport Woman in Television award at the 2023 Momentum gsport Awards is Vusiwe Ngcobo 👏🔝
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 12, 2023
Massive congratulations to fellow nominees Julia Stuart and Xoli Zondo 👏#HereForHer pic.twitter.com/RUS6FMNtIc
Jessica "Aunty Diski" Nkomo retained her Woman in Social Media title after winning for the second consecutive year.
She exudes elegance, class, and unforgettable looks, whether she's working on SuperSport or painting the town red, Nqobile Khwezi has certainly earned the 2023 Style Star award.
Double gold Commonwealth Youth Games winner, Alicia Khunou achieved her dream of keeping the SuperSport School Sport Star of the Year award at home after it was won by her sister Lesedi last year.
Leading junior golfer Kyra van Kan is the Emerging Athlete of the Year after a stellar year on the course.
The 2023 gsport Emerging Athlete of the Year goes to Golf's rising star, Kyra van Kan, who started 2023 at the pinnacle, ranked No.1 in both the GolfRSA Open and Junior rankings!! #gsport18 #SheOwnsHerSuccess #PowerOfRecognition pic.twitter.com/SRa6UZDUpP
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 12, 2023
Hammanskraal Tennis Club founder, Bella Mpho Makhoba bagged the Volunteer of the Year Award.
The Supporter of the Year winner is the forever present Mama Joy Chauke while Northern Cape's women in football advocate, Brenda Mafunisa received the Special Recognition Award.
Netball South Africa received the most votes and where thus declared the Public Choice Award winner.
Hall of Fame inductee for 2023 is Blanche Moila. MaMoila is a trailblazer who ran during the apartheid years, breaking down racial barriers in the 1980s, a feat that has inspired generations on the track and in sport in general in South Africa.
In 1984, Moila was awarded Springbok colours, making her the first among black South African women to achieve the distinction of representing the country. Her tenacious attitude has seen her amass an endless list of achievements such as participating in 18 Comrades Marathons.
The 18th gsport Hall of Fame inductee, Blanche Moila, is a trailblazer who ran during the apartheid years, breaking down racial barriers in the 1980s, a feat that has inspired generations on the track and in sport in general in South Africa!! #gsport18 #SheOwnsHerSuccesss pic.twitter.com/wTCN8OOdLV
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) September 12, 2023
Completing the awards are the five Ministerial Recognition of Excellence recipients:
• Banyana Banyana reached the knockout stages in the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, becoming the first South African team to advance to this stage of the competition, with players like Thembi Kgatlana and HIldah Magaia shining on the world stage.
• Proteas Women achieved an unprecedented feat as the first senior South African cricket team to reach a World Cup final. Their remarkable journey in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup culminated in a runner-up position, marking a historic moment in South African cricket history.
• SA Women's Indoor Hockey Team made history as the first African nation to reach the semifinals. Defeating Belgium, they secured an impressive 4th place finish. Their silver medal wins at the Africa Cup in 2021 and 2017 further highlights their sustained excellence.
• Spar Proteas secured a commendable sixth-place finish at Africa's first-ever Netball World Cup, showcasing their global competitiveness. With two prior podium finishes, they remain a formidable force in world netball.
• SuperSport committed to and delivered on its vision of an all-women broadcast team for the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town. The pioneering female-led coverage at the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape, earned a nomination for "Best Sporting Event of the Year 2023" in the UK Sports Business Awards.
The Momentum gsport Awards is endorsed by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, and supported by Brand South Africa, Nielsen Sports South Africa, DP WORLD, SuperSport, and Telkom.
2023 Momentum gsport Awards Winners:
• Momentum Athlete of the Year – Andile Dlamini
• Telkom Woman of the Year – Natasha Petersen
• Global Woman in Sport – Leila Steyn-Daku
• DP World African Woman in Sport – Faith Kipyegon
• SuperSport Woman in TV – Vusiwe Ngcobo
• Brand SA Para Sport Star of the Year – Kgothatso Montjane
• SuperSport School Sport Star of the Year – Alicia Khunou
• Mail & Guardian Woman in Print – Lethabo Kganyago
• Nielsen Sports South Africa Sponsor of the Year – SASOL
• Emerging Athlete of the Year – Kyra van Kan
• Woman in PR and Sponsorship – Emy Casaletti-Bwalya
• Woman in Radio – Rachel Makhura
• Woman in Social Media – Jessica Nkomo
• Special Recognition – Brenda Mafunisa
• Supporter of the Year – Mama Joy Chauke
• Volunteer of the Year – Bella Mpho Makhoba
• Style Star – Ngobile Khwezi
• Federation of the Year – Cricket South Africa
• Coach of the Year – Desiree Ellis
• Team of the Year – Banyana Banyana
• Public Choice Award – Netball South Africa
• 2023 Hall of Fame Inductee – Blanche Moila