By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
@GalloImages.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) have announced the appointment of Nozipho Jafta as its new chief executive officer (CEO).
Jafta will replace the late Tubby Reddy, who resigned as permanent CEO of Sascoc in 2018.
She is currently the operations, sales, marketing, communication and stakeholder relations executive for Autopax, a subsidiary of Prasa.
Her portfolio included the sponsorship of South African Football Association (SAFA), Premier Soccer League (PSL), Lions rugby union, Super Rugby 14 (SANZAR), Sunshine Tour, South African Open Golf Tournament, SA Golf Development Board, Women’s World Cup of Golf, Cricket SA, Argus cycling, ATP Tour, Comrade’s Marathon, Two Oceans Marathon and many more.
Between 2007 and 2010, she was the head of the McDonald’s global sponsorship of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Jaftra also holds a degree in Communications and Honours in Psychology from the University of Fort Hare.
President of Sascoc Barry Hendricks believes that Jafta was the right candidate for the job and hopes to benefit from her “extensive experience”.
“We are very excited about this appointment and we believe that having a permanent CEO is very critical in stabilising and turning Sascoc around. We went through a very rigorous process, involving independent consultants and panel, and believe that we have the right candidate for the job,” said Hendricks.
“She will be working very closely with us in addressing financial & governance issues and most importantly rebuilding the Sascoc Brand and stakeholder confidence to attract sponsors and stabilise the organisation.
“As an organisation, Sascoc is definitely going to benefit from the extensive experience that Nozipho has in both private and public sector,” added Hendricks.
“In partnership with Sascoc, Nozipho managed the SAA sponsorship of both the Olympics and Paralympics in 2004 and in 2008, she was involved in the Beijing Olympics with McDonald’s, who are the global sponsors of the Olympics and Paralympics. So, she is no stranger in our environment.”
Jafta’s first big assignment will be South Africa’s potential participation at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, which takes place from 4-20 February.