Cynthia Tshaka

Cynthia Tshaka is a pioneering South African broadcaster, producer, and advocate for women in sport. With a career spanning over three decades, she holds the distinction of being the first Black female sports anchor in both South Africa and Africa, breaking barriers across radio and television since the early 1990s. Her broadcasting career began in radio in 1993, before she transitioned to television news and sport in 1995. Over the years, Tshaka anchored coverage for some of the world’s most iconic sporting events, including the Olympic Games (1996–2008), the Commonwealth Games (2002–2008), the All Africa Games (2003–2007), and South Africa’s Two Oceans and Comrades Marathons (1996–2010). She also anchored the country’s 2010 FIFA World Cup bid live from Zurich. In 2002, she founded Sport Heroes Walk Against AIDS, an organisation that uses sport as a tool to transform lives in rural communities affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2011, she launched Imbokodo, an NGO dedicated to empowering women and girls through sport, and in 2015, she created and produced Women Sports Talk — the first South African and African television programme focused exclusively on women in sport. Tshaka has served in numerous leadership and advisory roles, including on the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Recreation, the SASCOC “Sport for All” Commission, and as a Laureus World Sports Award Voting Judge. She was also appointed as Team South Africa’s Olympic Ambassador in 2012 and remains an influential voice in gender mainstreaming and athlete development. Her work has earned her induction into the Gsport Hall of Fame (2025) and recognition as South Africa’s first Black female Laureus Ambassador. Academically, Tshaka holds a BA in Communication Science, BA Honours in Gender Studies, BA in International Relations, and is completing a BA in Policy Studies. Today, Cynthia Tshaka continues to champion equality, empowerment, and representation across the sporting landscape. Her enduring mission is to ensure that women, youth, and persons with disabilities are visible, resourced, and celebrated within the sports ecosystem — not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of transformation itself.