WHEN she is not on the sidelines of a pitch bringing us soccer news and interviews, sports presenter Mpho Maboi is enjoying every minute of being a mother.
ENJOYING MOTHERHOOD
Mpho says motherhood has taught her valuable life lessons. Thanks to her four-year-old son Thato, she has learnt to be patient. “I have never been very patient before but he has taught me to improve on that,” she says. Mpho adds that she gets so much joy from listening to her son’s stories after a long day at work. “I like having someone to talk to after a tough day at work. His stories always make me laugh and he’s always so jolly. I also enjoy being responsible for someone’s life,” she affirms.
DATING A SOCCER PLAYER
She reveals that her soccer player boyfriend, Reneilwe “Yeye” Letsholonyane, is a great father. “He’s a very hands-on dad,” she says. She further adds that dating a soccer player is like dating any other guy. “He is no different,” she says. Things have not always been rosy for the couple. They broke up while she was heavily pregnant. She was once quoted as saying, “The breakup was a bit hard because we broke up while I was pregnant with our son at the time. But it had to happen. I think we had got to a point where we were toxic for each other. Fortunately, we managed to deal with everything and I must say our relationship has been better the second time around.”
HER LOVE FOR SPORTS
Mpho is one of the most respected sports broadcasters in Mzansi but she admits growing up in Daveyton, West of Johannesburg, she never considered sports broadcasting as a career choice. She wanted to be a doctor instead but ended up studying IT. She became interested in sports because of her father. “My dad loves football. I guess because soccer was always there, I grew to like it,” she explains. She is very proud of how the playing field has changed for women in sports. “There is a good number of us in front of the camera and behind the scenes. A few years back, it was only a handful of us but now we could do a whole show with just women,” says the sports reporter.
