PROFILE - SIBONELO ZULU: aiming to join his commentary heroes

Name: Sibonelo Zulu

Age: 27

Hometown: Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal

The commentator bug bit Sibonelo Zulu over a couple of PlayStation games at church with his friends.

They would always switch off the volume from the games and compel Siboniso to try out the art. His friends convinced him that this is something that he could pursue.

“Everything manifested. SuperSport Schools was booming, it was fresh, high-school sport needed commentators and I nailed it. I became an integral part of SuperSport Schools in KZN. This is why I entered.

"I would love for the continuation and gradual growth to be there. My main beat is football but I always try to improve myself and put myself out there,” says Sibonelo.

When the opportunity to enter the SuperSport MVP Talent Search came, he didn’t hesitate to put his hands up. Being part of the main channel would be the most natural next step that he hopes to take. Becoming part of the next generation of English football commentators is a dream that he keeps working on, learning from current and former legends of the game.

CLICK, CLICK, BANG!

“Unfortunately God didn’t give me the ability to play football but I always wanted to be in the thick of things. I can’t even juggle a ball but I wanted to be part and parcel of that atmosphere. I know how to speak the game.

"The 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup are the most memorable sporting events in my life. I would listen to commentators, the like legendary John Helm and later Ian Darke and when Sizwe Mabena joined SuperSport his ‘Click, click, bang’ phrase made me fall in love with commentary. He had an influence on me,” he says.

His father was the biggest influence in his footballing journey. Not a lot of kids would reject the opportunity of earning a R5 coin by only doing the cross-bones sign.