From sportscaster to advocate

“Everything is possible; one only needs to be determined, hardworking, and dedicated. If you start something, make sure you finish it, and age should not be a limitation.” This is the mindset of former PhalaPhala FM radio announcer and SABC sportscaster Thivhulawi Gilbert Nyadzhiwa, better known as “Gwati Muzere” in the broadcasting industry.

Nyadzhiwa (65), who retired in 2021 as an SABC sportscaster, is still working as an advocate. “In 2005, I registered to study for a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of South Africa (UNISA). After completing this degree, the urge to become a lawyer, which had been my childhood dream, was reignited. I then registered to study law at UNISA. I completed the LLB degree in 2016 and continued working as a sportscaster, although I was mostly working behind the scenes,” said Nyadzhiwa.

Nyadzhiwa said that after leaving the SABC in 2021, he had gone to law school and completed his studies in six months. “I was admitted as an advocate of the High Court in November 2021,” he said. He then completed his last hurdle, serving pupilage, and is currently practicing law in the Thohoyandou area.

According to Nyadzhiwa, the transition from broadcasting to practicing law was not easy. Studying privately is demanding and requires self-discipline and dedication.

He added that during his secondary school years in the late 1970s to 1980s at Tondalushaka Secondary in Tshaulu village, he had been one of the learners who used to analyse and question things, and his classmates predicted he would be a lawyer one day because of his analytical skills.

“I joined Radio Venda, now PhalaPhala FM, as a junior presenter on 1 October 1983. I was based at Auckland Park in Johannesburg, where I specialised in broadcasting sports and other programmes on a smaller scale. I worked with senior announcers such as Mr. Hyson Musandiwa and James Ratshilumela Netshiozwi, and later on with Mr. Tshivheaho Jackson Munonde and Mrs. Mukondeleli Candy Moloi-Ramunenyiwa. I am very grateful to these individuals as they shaped my skill in sports broadcasting and broadcasting as a whole,” he said.

Date:21 April 2024

By: Silas Nduvheni

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