How Pirates media officer Merafe turned a passion for the game into a full time job

From humble beginnings to working at one of the biggest and most respected teams in Africa, the story of Orlando Pirates’ media officer Thandi Merafe is inspiring.

Merafe has followed a dream and passion by putting other things on hold like education, and her involvement in football administration is full of wonderful memories.

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As a young girl growing up in Soweto, Merafe found herself surrounded by boys most of the time. It’s not that she didn’t have sisters, as she grew up in a family of seven, where there were three brothers and four sisters.

But, following her brothers around was something she grew accustomed to, rather than being with her sisters.

And as expected, playing with boys in the township would only lead to one thing, football, and that’s where the passion and love for the beautiful game started for the Pirates media officer, who praises her mother for instilling great values in her and all her siblings.

“I grew up like any other kid from the township. There were great times and of course there were bad times. But, I cherish each and every moment. Thanks to my mother, a single parent, my siblings and I grew up in a loving home. She took really good care of us and I am proud of who I am because it is all from her teachings. But, I had my fair share of hidings,” she laughs

“You know when you were out of line parents would discipline you, so, I am from there as well. But, it was all part of life lessons and my mother was someone who always wanted things to be done the right way.”

At that point, Merafe didn’t know that playing soccer with boys would actually lead her to growing fond of the game and most importantly, the Pirates badge.

“Growing up in Soweto, you were either a Pirates fan, or a Kaizer Chiefs fan. So, it happened that my friend was a Chiefs fan, so, I had to be a Pirates fan because he said we can’t both be supporting the same team. And from that day, my love for the team just grew stronger and stronger.”

Tagging along with her brothers eventually turned her into a soccer player. She only started playing seriously when she enrolled at Wits University for an LLB qualification. However, little did she know that she’ll have to put her studies on hold after travelling to Beijing for the World Student Games in 2000.

“The organisation of the whole event is what blew me, it was just amazing. I just couldn’t believe how the whole planning was so perfect from the opening ceremony to the end, that’s when my calling for football administration began. I just wanted to know everything about putting an event together and everything that goes on behind the scenes,” she added.

From then on, Merafe followed her passion and she eventually ended up at Pirates, where she was welcomed with open arms, and found herself working for a team she loves wholeheartedly.

A mother of a nine-year old boy whose nickname is “2010”, a year when the Fifa World Cup was hosted in African soil for the very first time in the history of the game, Merafe’s son’s nickname clearly says a lot about her football journey.

The Pirates media officer eventually finished her LLB qualification through Unisa and is enjoying her work.

However, with all the travelling she does with the team domestically and in Africa – like last season when Pirates were competing in the Caf Confederation Cup – she admits that there’s less time she spends with her son, and being on the road is taxing mentally and psychologically.

Her siblings have made things simple for her by being there for the child, especially when she is out of the country, and she says that she always ensures that she spends as much time as she can with him and always tries to make up for the time when she’s not around.