Montjane and Whitebooi make JSE history

Two-time Grand Slam wheelchair tennis doubles champion Kgothatso Montjane and Commonwealth Games judo gold medalist Michaela Whitebooi made history as the first women in sport in South Africa to open markets at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, on Friday.

Leaders in women's sports gathered for the second annual gsport Business Breakfast, where the initiative had the honour of opening the markets in its quest to bolster the commercialisation of women's sports.

This year's event was aimed at furthering the message towards a future where female athletes have the opportunity to thrive and excel on a professional level.

Montjane, who has had an outstanding year on the court, has continued to dominate the sponsorship space and welcomed the honour of being at the JSE to celebrate the corporate advances in women's sports in 2023.

"This is cool," Montjane expressed on being one of the first female athletes in the country to open the trading markets for the day.

The 37-year-old also spoke on the importance of investment from the grassroots level in the country, saying, "It's so sad that we still need to win Grand Slams in order to get sponsors. We need to change this narrative and start investing from development, grassroots levels."

Joining in on the conversation of the day, gsport's Newsroom partner, Telkom, represented by Chief Marketing Officer, Gugu Mthembu, highlighted the telecommunications giant's commitment to drive the development of women's sport and netball through their #StandTall campaign, which has encouraged greater support.

Delivering a sterling keynote address, Optimize Agency CEO, Emy Casaletti-Bwalya, took guests through the steps to victory, which led her client, Montjane, to two Grand Slam titles in a year.

"KG is such a positive person and that has led to a fruitful journey for us as a Team. We knew that we had to take steps to build KG's brand and that was exactly what we did from day one. We had to create an awareness of her, her abilities and generate funds for her," this strategy has led to Montjane signing multiple sponsorship deals in recent times.

To cap off an outstanding breakfast session, gsport founder, Kass Naidoo, went on to share 10 women in sport advancements, which changed the game in 2023 - The Year of Women's Sport.