GALLERY: Cynthia Tshaka empowers women through sports talk show

Cynthia Tshaka has become a beacon of hope for women in sports with her new talk show called Women in Sports Talk Show which she hosts alongside Olympic gold medalist Natalie du Toit.

“It was after my mother died that I went through a mental slump, even feeling suicidal because I did everything for my mother. After some time, I was given a second chance at life and I began to ask myself what is it that I could do with my particular skills set,” Tshaka said.

She found that she was still interested in television broadcasting and discovered that there was a huge inequality in sports and set about to create a platform to make a difference for women in sports.

“There were so many doors that shut in my face and I could not believe that nobody wanted to listen, but I prayed and continued on my quest to find a sponsor for the show,” she added.

Eventually, she found a sponsor through South African Breweries (SAB) and the show was launched through Super Sports Channel 4 .

Born and bred in Cape Town, Tshaka admits that she grew up in harsh poverty with her mother eking out a living as a domestic worker while they stayed in a shack in the infamous township of Khayelitsha.

“I was always interested in sports. I have a black belt in karate and through that I was able to travel the world and I knew that sports would rescue me from the poverty I lived in,” Tshaka said.

The Northcliff resident said that she enjoys spending time with her family and keeps fit and healthy by jogging around the neighborhood. “After 20 years of staying in Northcliff, I feel settled,” she added.

Tshaka, who is an avid reader, said she had strong mentors who saw something in her that she could not see in herself at the time. “In the beginning, I was motivated by material things but now I see that my purpose is to help people and that is what I do through the show,” she pointed out.

After some time of being a celebrity sports presenter, she obtained a degree in communications as well as a post-graduate degree in gender studies and added that she hoped that South Africa paid attention to the show as it mostly highlighted the plight of women in sports.

“I want to tell the children who are living in shacks to look at me. If I can make it, so will they. Just be yourself and focus on the studies and be ambitious,”Tshaka concluded.

Catch the Women in Sports Talk Show every Thursday on SS4 at 8pm and the repeats during the course of the week.

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