In the high-intensity world of sports broadcasting, you need a calm head to ensure everything is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. That sense of calm at SuperSport is exemplified in the form of Bessie Lesabane, currently the rugby production manager at the broadcasting giant. She uses her team management skills to bring quality entertainment to millions of South Africans.
Lesabane’s studies started with qualifications in media and communications, which she then bolstered with a host of management and production diplomas to give her the skills to rise through the ranks of SuperSport since starting there all the way back in 2011. It’s this start as a production runner intern during the 2011 Rugby World Cup that makes her journey that much more inspirational. As she valiantly committed to her career back then, there was no way she could know that just eight years later she would find herself in Japan working as a production manager for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, an accomplishment Lesabane happily marks as her proudest moment.
The drive in both her professional and personal life is the legacy she is building for her child, her family and the community that raised her. “I believe I’m on a journey of planting trees, and the fruits that these trees produce will be enjoyed by the generation that comes after me,” Lesabane explains, hoping that her child and those of her community will have a better start to a successful and meaningful life. Regarding transformation in her industry, she hopes more women become involved in sports broadcasting, and dreams of one day seeing an all-female team produce a live rugby test match between South Africa vs New Zealand at Ellis Park Stadium.