Volume 65 December 2026-January 2026 : Feature

Without an iota of doubt, one of the country’s household names in female sports journalism is Anastasia Sibanda, Botswana Press Agency (BOPA) sports reporter, who also doubles up as an analyst on the RB2 SportsCourt show.

To borrow from Tupac Shakur’s collection of poetry, Sibanda is ‘a rose who grew from concrete,’ one of the nation’s leading journalists and influencers, who came from humble beginnings to being a top achiever.

It was against this background that the country’s oldest commercial radio station, RB2, saw it fit to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, by toasting Sibanda.

That morning, she woke up unaware of the festivities that lay ahead as she made her way to the Mass Media Complex for the Sportscourt show with Solomon Kakuwa. 

The Cinderella at the ball had to be convinced to wear a formal dress, by a colleague since there was a Women and Sports Botswana (WASBO) event later that day. Little did she know, she would be posing for pictures with Assistant Minister for State President, Maipelo Mophuting after being honoured for her remarkable contribution to sports journalism in print and radio.

Reflecting on her journey, Anastasia told the gathering that she had started her career as a cleaner, employed by the Department of Information Services in the early 2000s.

She was deployed to the Ramotswa office, and the turning point came when her office manager, Motlalepula Mokgadi (nee Motlatshiping) went for a course South Africa. 

“There was a robbery which occurred in Tlokweng, which is covered by the Ramotswa office, and in my boss’ absence, I went to cover. The story hit the front page of the Daily News. Again, there was a full council meeting at Ramotswa, and the then Vice President, Lt Gen Ian Khama was present. I covered and again, the story made the front page,” Sibanda says.

She said the department’s leaders started to take note of her journalistic ability, with the then Director, Bapasi Mphusu inquiring about this “cleaner who writes good English.”

Raised in White City, Gaborone and having completed formal schooling at Gaborone Secondary School (GSS) Sibanda out of the boredom of being an unemployed youth had applied for the cleaner’s job, but quietly proceeded to study by correspondence for a Certificate in Community Journalism, through the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Once her department leadership picked up her writing talent she became a writer for the national newspaper, transferred to the Jwaneng Information Services office, where she worked under the stewardship of Thebeyame Ramoroka, currently the Deputy Director of Information Services.

“Mr Ramoroka asked me what my interest was, and I responded, “politics and crime.” He told me that politics only becomes busy at election time and there is only one magistrate’s court in Jwaneng. But sports is always active,” Sibanda narrates.

The rest, as they say is history.

Akin to the fairytale of the Sleeping Beauty, where a princess, cursed at birth by a fairy to die when she turned 16, but through the reversal of the curse by another fairy, instead falls into deep sleep to be awakened by the kiss of a charming Prince, Sibanda’s career was awakened from the mundane to the extraordinary by the slightest twist of fate.

Hard work too. She has progressed to obtain a BA degree in Media Studies from the University of Botswana and a Masters in Business Administration (International Business) earned through the Amity University.

She now expressed a desire to pursue doctorate studies (PhD) in future, in a field she has yet to determine.

A good two decades since the 1995 Beijing Conference set the global agenda for gender equality, stories such as those of Sibanda bring hope to many young ladies from inner city low income neighbourhoods such as White City, and rural areas, that much is possible.

To the BOPA newsroom, she has become known for her knack for news, breaking stories, having reputable sources, and the energy to tell cutting edge stories.

The country’s cream in sports- the likes of Nijel Amos, Amantle Montsho, Isaac Makwala and Letsile Tebogo have got to a point of being comfortable around Sibanda and finding it easy to relate their stories through her.

During the ceremony, celebrated under the theme: Accelerate Action, RB2 station manager, Ms Mosetsana Maribe said Sibanda was chosen as the station’s woman of the year, after they had reflected on her journey from humble beginnings to being an influential news reporter.

She related how they celebrate such an occasion every year through celebrating a remarkable female colleague.

“It is crucial that we celebrate women,” Assistant Minister Mophuting said. “Women are heroes who deserve honour and recognition for their work across various fields. There is nothing we cannot do as women as long as we put the fear of the Lord ahead.”

Blessings from above and the hard work to reach for one’s dreams have landed Anastasia Sibanda in a remarkable place among Botswana sport’s journalistic leading lights. ENDS

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