So hectic is the work schedule of Busisiwe Sijora, that sitting her down for this interview proved a Herculean task. After all, as Sport Officer at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (formerly Medunsa), she is responsible for overseeing 10 sporting codes, meaning her days are filled with a lot of administrative work, meetings and calls to ensure everything around her is in order. The 31-year-old is not complaining though, for she is a sport enthusiast of note and has been gradually working her way up not just in football but in different sporting codes. Such that she has attained the necessary qualifications and done a lot of volunteering work, but even then, has found the going tough at times. Unfortunately, that is the nature of this beast called sport, which still remains a male domain. In this last offering of the Diski Women, You Rock! series chronicling the struggles and achievements of women in sport, Sijora pours her heart out to Soccer Laduma's Lunga Adam about the up and downs thus far.
Lunga Adam: Hi Busi, we're glad to have you on the pages of Soccer Laduma! To start off, what's keeping you busy?
Busisiwe Sijora: I am currently a full-time Sport Officer at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), previously known as Medunsa. As a Sport Officer, I am responsible for 10 sporting codes. I am also responsible for Marketing and Communication, Risk Registrar, and gymnasiums of our department. As a Sport Officer, I need to make sure that our teams participate in leagues and other competitions. My normal week usually kicks off with my administration – that is, booking of transport, meal requisitions, writing a report on weekend activities. Tuesday to Wednesdays would usually entail following up on requisitions, allocating drivers for the weekend activities, doing other operational activities that come up during that week. Thursdays and Fridays are usually the busiest as I have to make sure that everything is set for the weekend activities and I have to go through my checklists so that I do not forget anything that will affect participations. The weeks and days are usually not the same; it all depends on the season and which competitions are ahead of us. During the University Sport South Africa (USSA) National Championships season, a lot is required, especially administration-wise. We now have to seek and book accommodation, make sure certain documents are submitted within the USSA timelines that are provided on the circulars, go through the process of making sure our students are bona-fide students and eligible to participate, seek and book transport etc. Outside my full-time job of being a Sport Officer, I also serve in the following committee: USSA Handball – Secretary, USSA Football – Vice Chairperson, South African Handball Federation – Executive Member.
LA: You've just come out of a South African Women and Sport Foundation International Advocacy Conference. What was it about and what did you take away from the event?
BS: The event was a two-day event. Day 1 was for an invited group and I was very privileged to be part of that group. Day 1 was the Future Leaders Masterclass, where a lot of information was shared with us on how to become better leaders in the space and, most importantly, to become mentors and spread the wings. The theme for the two days was "Changes and Progress in Women and Sport Across the World". After a very fruitful weekend, one of the most important things that I went home with is the fact that there is very little research done about women in sport in Africa. A lot of the data when you speak about women in sport is European research, and we now need to turn the focus home if we want to improve things. We cannot use European research to fix or improve here at home. Secondly, as females we need to create a space where other females are able to look up to female leaders and lift each other up. What is important is the mindset of doing what you can with what you have. Lastly, one other thing that I have realised is that we tend to forget about disability sports in our conversations, and it's something that came up during our conversations that when we talk about women in sports, we are not including disability sports. It is something that we really need to improve on. There is a lot that I still need to digest from the weekend, but what I can say is that it is now time to go back to the drawing board, do some research and see how I can plough back and contribute to the advancement of women in sport.
LA: What do you enjoy most about your job?
BS: My greatest passion is university sports, because I can contribute to the change of the narrative that sport people are not gifted academically. What I enjoy most is seeing student- athletes being able to balance their academics and sports, and excelling in both. Seeing student-athletes graduate brings joy to my heart, and that all goes back to the work we do on a daily basis.
LA: In terms of women and sport, are you happy with the current status quo?
BS: To be honest, I am not satisfied, but we are slowly moving into the right direction. In previous years, women in sport did not hold prominent leadership roles, but now we have federations who have female presidents, we have universities that have female sport directors, we have female Head of Departments and they are making positive impacts in their roles.
LA: Let's talk about your journey. Almost your whole life has been about sport. When did you first fall in love with sport?
BS: Busisiwe is a 31-year-old young woman who was born and bred in Litha Park, Khayelitsha, Cape Town. I am very passionate about sports in general and have consistently demonstrated a willingness to volunteer in the past 10 years in various positions. I have successfully obtained my National Diploma at Tshwane University of Technology. I was part of the 8 Nations Cup held in Cape Town in 2012 as a Volunteer. I was also a Liaison Officer at the annual Metropolitan Premier Bayhill Cup for three years. I became a Team Manager of TUT Ladies Football Team in 2013 and I was named Team Manager of the Tournament in one of the tournaments we played. In 2014, I was honoured to be named TUT's Best Sport Administrator of the Year at the annual Sport Awards. In 2015, I moved from football and recruited some girls at our campus to start playing rugby. We lost every match during that year. Despite that, I went on to recruit girls physically and via Facebook to come and study at TUT and play rugby. I was successful in that as by 2016 we had nine of our girls in the Blue Bulls Senior Women's Team Squad and one in the SA Schools National Team. We even won the league and I was called up to manage the Blue Bulls U16 girls and Women's Senior Team.
LA: Go on.
BS: I served in different sporting codes and my great work was awarded by being a finalist at the annual gsport Awards (Volunteer of the Year category) hosted by Kaas Naidoo and the Minister of Sports. I was also part of the TUT Sport Council, I was elected at USSA to be part of the NEC which dealt with 26 sporting codes, and I held the portfolio of Transformation and Development. I also worked at Engen national tournaments as a Liaison Officer and Volunteers Coordinator. In 2017, I earned myself an internship with a CATHSETTA programme led by Dr. Serra, a lecturer at TUT, who placed me at Mamelodi Sundowns. At Sundowns, I had different roles because of my willingness to always assist where I can. I worked alongside Colen Makhanya assisting with the academy administration and logistics; I also worked alongside Peter Ndlovu assisting with the senior team administration and logistics. I ended up also getting a role as a Team Manager for the Women's Team and U18 Team. When my internship ended, I then worked at Qina Holdings as a Social Media Manager of Macron sportswear, before being employed by SMU. In fact, I was Chef De Mission for Team SMU for the 2022 SAUSSA (Southern African University Staff Sports Association) Games held in Botswana. I was also a Tournament Director of last year's FarPost Cup.
LA: Did you ever aspire to be a footballer?
BS: Before I became an Administrator, I was actually a football player, but due to an injury that I sustained in my first year in Pretoria, I had to stop playing, and that is where my passion for sport administration was discovered. I had to become a Team Manager for TUT, and fill in a vacant position at USSA Gauteng Football while nursing my injury, and I never looked back.
LA: In the early days of Chippa United, you were always there supporting the team with some considering you as the team's number one supporter.
BS: I was a firm believer of supporting a local club, and I fell in love with the club because of the story behind the club. I then fell deeply in love and involved when I attended games and doing more research. People then relied on me for information when it comes to matches, latest news etc. As an innovative person who always has ideas running through my head, I felt like I could create a unique identity for the club and that is where the idea of the overall came in, and people thought I was a number one supporter.
LA: Surely there must have been challenges along the way.
BS: Eish! The struggle is real. Being a woman in a male-dominant space does not come easy because we are seen as being "emotional beings", seen as people who are not really clued up on what we are doing in a sense that whatever you are doing, there has to be a man above you who has to make sure that you "know" what you are doing. You have to do extra in everything, and we have people who expect you to play a role of a woman in a workplace/boardroom in a sense that they expect you to be the one making tea, as an example. When major decisions are supposed to be taken, your opinion is brushed aside, or you are not being involved. Let a man in the room give the very same opinion and it will be welcomed. There is still a very long way to go when it comes to challenges, as there is a lot of discrimination and exclusion.
LA: How are you finding being a sport graduate in SA?
BS: Being a sport graduate in South Africa is very hard. The opportunities are not made available. Last year, I read an article that had stats of how many people are working at the Sport and Recreation Department as Directors and HODs in different provinces and nationally, who do not hold a sport-related qualification. It was 56 if my memory serves me well, then you ask yourself how many more in (the) lower ranks. This is very sad because it also contributes to what we are seeing now in the country as people who are holding prominent positions do not really have the background and passion for sports, and programmes suffer. Look at our fields, stadiums, parks, etc. Sport infrastructures are dead, because there is no plan. Growing up, there used to be a tennis court close by, but now how many tennis courts can you find in the townships? How many proper football facilities can you find? Allow fresh minds to come and assist with innovative ideas. Give sport graduates a chance to be involved. This is a subject very close to my heart, and I get very emotional when it comes to it. It pains me because we are a sport nation, but we are being let down. Someone once said, "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and re-learn."
LA: Thanks for your time, Mamkwayi (clan name), and keep up the good work.
BS: Thank you. By the way, I took an initiative to start a WhatsApp group where I share sport-related jobs on a weekly basis. Once a week, I take time off my busy schedule, go online and search for sport-related vacancies and share them. Currently, I do have people who come back to me and say they are starting new jobs due to this, and it makes me happy. It goes back to (the point about) doing what you can with what you have.
