Media Officer, Proteas

Lerato Malekutu loved cricket since she was 10 years old and even played for her province (Limpopo) as a high school learner.

So when she studied journalism at the University of Johannesburg it was so that she could fulfil her dream of becoming a cricket journalist.

Instead, she went one up and landed the job of her dreams. Malekutu (27) has been the media officer for the Proteas since 2010.

She was offered the position after working first as an intern, then as the media officer for cricket development at Cricket South Africa (CSA), a job that she gave her all to.

She hasn’t looked back since.

Her dedication and skill earned her the respect of the players, management and the media. Malekutu’s role is a vast one and includes setting up media interviews for the players, handling press conferences, providing content to CSA’s online platforms and publications and maintaining a good relationship between the team and other key stakeholders.

This can be time-consuming but she enjoys every minute of it.

“I enjoy the travelling and getting paid to watch a sport I love,” she says. But the most enjoyable part of her job is the people she works with.

“I work with a great bunch of people – players and management alike – and that has made an often highly stressful job quite bearable. We have such a fun and supportive team environment that sometimes it doesn’t actually feel like I’m working.”

Going forward Malekutu has big plans for her charges: “The most important thing for me is helping to build a Proteas legacy and helping to promote the game across the country. We have a great group of cricketers that are passionate about their country and what they do, I want them to be remembered that way. Hopefully the Proteas brand will cement its place as one of the premier sporting brands in the country and play a part in further unifying our country.”
— Fatima Asmal

Twitter: @leratomalekutu