IN PICS | SA's sporting sheroes shine on the red carpet

Cold in the beginning and fiery at the end — that sums up this week on the social swirl.

Let’s start with the brrr — nature’s annual reminder that spring starts only in the second half of September — which nevertheless couldn’t prevent the country’s sporting sheroes from slipping on their glad rags to attend the 2023 Momentum gsport Awards on Tuesday evening.

Held as it often is at the Wanderer’s Club in Illovo, Joburg, this is cricket commentating queen Kass Naidoo’s yearly pat on the back for the womenfolk who often do better than the blokes when it comes to sporting prowess.

Past the red carpet and up the stairs, I head into the hall, where I spot Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis being interviewed by a TV reporter while the women’s national team’s goalie, Andile Dlamini, poses for pics nearby.

Andile, who already got the goalkeeper of the tournament nod at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in which we came out victorious, looked dapper in a black brocade suit from Just Tonight Josephine, which, like last year, kitted out all the finalists and presenters for the awards.

Up comes someone else also wearing an outfit from the tux and dress rental service, though in this case, while I loved the bold tangerine colour, it sported way too many frills in the front.

Turns out it was the night’s host, Kea Motlokwa, who I was relieved to learn would be changing into another outfit to step on to the stage.

Next, I meet a woman who deserves to be a household name, her hair wrapped in a glorious turban.

That’s Blanche Moila, who was the first black female athlete to wear Springbok colours, way back in 1984.

The retired psychiatric nurse, who has completed the Comrades Marathon more than a dozen times, shares that she’s “still running at 67 and eight months — don't forget the months!”

I, though, am also interested in her signature head wrap, which she sports even while trudging along the road.

“Does it get hot? No, white reflects the sun,” explains the Durban-based sporting legend.

On to meeting 19-year old cricketing all-rounder Madison Landsman, who sweetly brought along mom Pam and younger sis Tatum for the outing. Madison, whose dad Glen passed away recently, made history of her own at the start of the year when she became the first to score a hattrick at the inaugural U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, which was held in South Africa in January.

Hands down the night’s most glam was Fifa Women’s World Cup referee Akhona Makalima, who told me the best thing about her job was “being in charge”.

“I’m a decisionmaker by nature,” said Akhona.

You’ll want to know about the actual awards. Andile, who provided one of the night’s musical highlights by showing off her singing talents, walked away with the night’s big gong, Momentum Athlete of the Year. Natasha Petersen, who was recently appointed venue logistics manager and site logistics co-ordinator at Qatar’s biggest stadium, was named Telkom Woman of the Year, while the Global Woman in Sport gong went to Faith Kipyegon. Among the other awards, Emy Casaletti-Bwalya got the nod for PR & Sponsorship, Kgothatso Montjane was named Brand SA Para Sport Star of the Year, Desiree took home Coach of the Year, and Blanche was the 2023 Hall of Fame inductee.

The grub?

Bowls of butter chicken, mushroom gnocchi and beef stir-fry, which lacked the spicy sauce served up at the other do I went to this week.

This Thursday afternoon featured the unusual pairing of a German sportswear monolith with a South African fast food chain whose signature peri-peri marinated chicken is loved by the public and superstars like David Beckham, Drake and Kendall Jenner.

We were in what used to be a sauce-bottling plant which has been converted into the fancy but inimitably Mzansi HQ for Nando’s in Lorentzville, a small suburb tucked away in an edgy part of town on the border of the Joburg CBD, to herald the partnership between Puma and the distinctive South African brand.

Aiming to turn up the heat on Heritage Day later this month, the collab sees the sneaker’s brand-distinctive RS-X trailblazing running shoe get the chilli treatment, complete with Birdseye chilli logo on the side, Puma logo in the Nando’s font, and the insole popping with a repeat print of the Nando’s sauce bottle.

I asked Puma SA’s marketing director, Brett Bellinger, how it all came about and learnt this was a case of the sneaker coming before the chicken when the company started looking for a brand to partner with to celebrate our cultural heritage.

“Pretty quickly, Nando’s floated to the top. They’re omnipresent culturally, and also a natural fit,” Brett explained.

Held at Nando’s Central Kitchen, guests included sneakerheads, fashionistas like Yasmin Furmie and foodies like Chef Nti, who tucked into flavoursome nibbles including chicken winglets and hummus topped with peri-peri sauce before the proceedings started. A more substantial feast — including flame-grilled chicken pieces, shisanyama chicken sosaties and chicken wraps, along with salads and flame-grilled mealies — was served up afterwards.

The biggest treat for me was having founder Robbie Brozin give Masi and me a personal tour of the company’s newish digs. And also to hear what he’s up to, now that the peri-peri king is no longer directly involved in the day-to-day running of the company he co-founded.

Like all of us, Robbie isn’t blind to how the city he loves is going down the drain.

“My soapbox right now is that you have to fix Joburg, and I believe it is the crazies — the creatives — who have to wake up the nation,” the business leader explains.

Top of the list?

“Nelson Mandela Bridge. An iconic bridge like that shouldn’t be in the state it is in, with no lights or railings on the sides.”