Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira
ONE night in August 2019, Chioniso “Omuhle” Mashakada decided to take a risk and board a bus to Harare. At the time she didn’t know this journey was to open doors to a promising career in sports administration and football in particular.
It is one move she will never regret.
The 25-year-old former Mpopoma High student is slowly breaking the “ceiling” proving that young women have all it takes to pull the reins and be counted among best performers. All things to do with football were served by men before, but in just two years in the capital city, Mashakada has reversed the role.
She is receiving praise for the media work she is doing at Dynamos this season. Her story is fulfilling and so inspirational.
Going to Harare then, she had received news of the Yvonne Mangunda mentorship programme auditions at Star FM in Harare. Mashakada boarded the night bus on a Friday to be on time for auditions on Saturday morning.
Though she arrived on time, the auditions turned out to be a nightmare. Things did not go her way but sheer determination resulted in the somewhat horror auditions turning out to be a life-changing occasion.
Mashakada says she has always been a lover of everything football and always dreamed of being a football journalist despite her being a holder of a marketing diploma. Her dream of football involvement would become a reality through Yvonne Mangunda and Star FM.
“My journey in football started at Star FM in August 2019 when l saw a video on Yvonne Mangunda’s page inviting girls for her mentorship programme. As some who had always dreamed of football journalism I personally felt this was my opportunity to make a name for myself in the football circles,” says Mashakada.
She however, had a challenge in her tracks.
“When l saw the audition invite l had one challenge, I was scared to tell my parents l was leaving for Harare on auditions because they didn’t find it safe to have their girl child is attending football matches, particularly with the stereotypes surrounding women in football and the violence that occasionally happens at football stadiums but this was an opportunity l had to grab,” says Mashakada.
“I left Bulawayo on Friday and arrived on Saturday. I was on time for the auditions. However, things took a turn through the stages of the audition. The first interview was writing a test on football knowledge and l passed that.
“The next was reading the bulletin. You had to write a script and read it. When the results came l had not made the cut and was told to go back home and l said to myself no, l can’t go back home. I went straight to Ephraim Tagu. I told him l read well, but l have not been chosen. He then said you can proceed to the interview stage. He just understood and said l should proceed to the interview stage which was the final one,” says Mashakada.
She says the interview panel consisted of Steve Vickers, Leander Kandiero and Howard Musodza.
“When l was about to leave Linda Muriro who had heard me read my script had the option to take me to the news desk. She said l should leave my contact with Yvonne Mangunda. Muriro was of the point that l can be trained to be a news reader. It was a long journey back home, that l can tell you. After two or three days, l don’t know what Mangunda was doing, she came across my Twitter account and she called me back to Harare because she wanted me to be trained,” says Mashakada.
That was not the end of it.
“Mangunda linked me to Muzi Hadebe who then took over my mentorship. So l started working with Hadebe who introduced me to a whole lot of football people and gave me a chance to do reports.
“Mangunda again linked me to H-Metro where my first report was on the back page of that paper, l did not even understand what the back page meant, l was later made to be made to understand. I continued writing till the time I joined Dynamos as a marketing intern. Mangunda at that time was the Dynamos media person. This for me was a big breakthrough,” says Mashakada.
She is presently pursuing a sports management qualification with world football governing body Fifa through Nelson Mandela University.
She has previously worked as a stadium announcer for FC Platinum in the Caf Champions League games at Barbourfields, Triangle in Caf Confederation Cup matches at BF and Warriors matches at National Sports Stadium. –@innocentskizo
Online Reporter