Lerato Watile Tsolo is the newly appointed Specialist in Research & Editorial at SABC Sport, one of the hardest working women you will ever meet, a devoted mother and entrepreneur. At the age of 36, Lerato has been at the heart of football for years, known to many for producing SABC 1’s Sport At 10, a leading football and lifestyle show. She lives and breathes sports.

 “Sport has been a huge part of my life. Personally, I love running and I have just started CrossFit, a new and fun fitness journey. I love watching football and catching up on all the football news. I love attending live sports events. I find it all thrilling. Lerato studied Journalism and instantly gravitated towards sport. It was in her third year when she contacted KICKOFF Magazine to be one of their contributors, with the help of then editor Sandile Mchunu, her first piece on the late Gift Leremi was published a month later. “He gave me a chance and I’ll forever be grateful. That was the beginning of my career. Seeing my name on that magazine set the tone for my life and confirmed that sport is where I belong.” commented Lerato.

Football is a male-dominated industry and highly contested, Lerato is mindful of her environment and the limitations it imposes on women. “Our world generally is male-dominated, we cannot run away from that. I operate from that base, knowing that I live in a societal culture that undermines women. I’m aware of the general stereotypes and environments that make it difficult for women to excel. There are many frustrations, but I choose to show up as my best self every day. Unapologetically so, not just one month in a year, every single day. I show up and dominate.” 

As a young woman in sport, Lerato has had her fair share of challenges which include dealing with hostilities in the newsroom. She also understands that she won’t be liked by everyone but she stays focused on the bigger picture and that is telling stories with as much authenticity and the respect they deserve. 

“I am a Queen who holds herself to very high standards, standards which I have set for myself. But I also give myself grace because at the end of the day, no one is perfect.”

What exactly does her job entail? She sums it up like this: “I head the Research & Editorial department at SABC Sport, a role I don’t take for granted. I manage a team of award-winning journalists and researchers. We drive sport news content across all SABC Sport platforms and enhance productions by providing world-class research.”

Focused and goal-driven, Lerato has established her career on integrity and excellence, it is no surprise that she is at the helm of sports editorial. She is also a doting mother of three beautiful girls whom she regards as her lifeline. Driven by the pursuit of success in all she does, she believes that each day presents two choices; victory or defeat and victory is what she chooses. 

Speaking of motherhood and her kids, Lerato refers to motherhood as God’s gift to her, her saving grace. “My three girls have given me a greater purpose to live for. I protect them at all costs and show up for them each day. We’re a happy bunch and I love it. I also teach them to love themselves and show up as the best versions of themselves from a young age. You set the tone for your life. You either live as a product of your circumstances or manifest your desired life. I want them to always remember that it all starts and ends with you.”

As an avid sports fan, especially football, she must have a favorite team and Orlando Pirates is the team for her. “Orlando Pirates. Ezimnyama ngenkani, ezikaMagebhula ezagebhula umhlaba kamasipala zawubhekisa phezulu, kwesi kaMaminzela isigodi!”

Lerato has an unquenchable passion for entrepreneurship and her wine business is the joy of her life. She studied WESET L1 purely based on the desire to know more about wine and how it’s made. She then created a business out of it and started Mawati Group. A business centred around various wine offerings.