A dream that started with the love of words has opened up the world for Nozibusiso Sibiya. The 26-year-old sports journalist, blogger and model understood early that chasing dreams is hard.
“I was born in a rural area called Kwambonambi, went to a boarding school in Vryheid and completed my Diploma in Journalism at the Durban University of Technology. I knew early on that I had to move to Johannesburg to make my dreams come true because opportunities are limited in KZN.”
Her choice of career path was not a popular one in her family.
“Everyone was against my career choice but I knew I would make it work. In boarding school, I used to read Hype, the hip-hop magazine. The editor of the magazine at the time made writing look interesting. I had always been a writer but he made me fall in love with writing even more. I wanted a career as a writer and journalism was my answer.”
But the move to Johannesburg was a rude awakening. The high unemployment rate in the country meant Nozibusiso couldn’t get a job the minute she arrived in Johannesburg. But she learned to be innovative in order to stay close to her dreams.
“It was very hard to get a job as a journalist. A few months after I graduated I worked for South African Fashion Week as a sales assistant at their Edgars Capsule. I had to work in retail for 6 months.”
But she kept on the lookout for opportunities in her desired field.
“I finally got a job with a company called MIXONO, doing social media for Netball South Africa. I now work as a freelance journalist. I’m currently working with Varsity Sports, covering football & netball.”
Being a woman of many talents, she also has a beauty, fashion and lifestyle blog called www.nubianbeauty.co.za “I was lucky to receive training with Adidas for sports blogging. I share breaking sports news on my social media pages because people are not always in front of their TVs.”
Nozibusiso gets inspiration from her family and especially her mother.
“My mother has always believed in me and she always makes ends meet,” she says. “She taught me to treat people with respect.”
These lessons in confidence and respect from her mother undoubtedly played a major role when Nozibusiso approached eminent sports presenter, Robert Marawa.
“I met Robert Marawa in 2013 in Johannesburg. I waited for him outside Metro FM studios and asked him to mentor me. He started mentoring me from that day and is always free to give me advice. He has been my constant inspiration in the industry.”
As the world keeps opening up for her, Nozibusiso is learning to diversify.
“I recently started a promotions agency. I am a model and have done promotions at varsity for extra cash. I started the agency to help young girls at varsity make a bit of money.”
Nozibusiso has achieved a lot in her young life. But she wants more.
“I am planning on going back to school next year to study creative writing in isiZulu,” she says. “I want to write a book in isiZulu for Foundation Phase. Most kids can’t read in their home language. And that is really sad.”
‘I don’t let the world define me and that’s exactly where my power lies,’ is on the bio of her blog. And what Nozibusiso Sibiya believes about herself is certainly reaping rewards.
“My advice to young people is that they must be patient but persistent with their dreams,” she says.
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Tell us: How does Nozibusiso’s story motivate you to follow your own dreams?
