OUR HEROES
Award Winner 2014
OUR UNSUNG SPORTS HEROES AND HEROINES
Thomas Mokoena Nchimane Kwenaite
Thomas Kwenaite, born in 1956 and popularly known as TK, is from humble beginnings. His earlier jobs include being a train ticket examiner, packing pies at a confectionary and shelf packer at a retail hyper shop. He rose to become legendary as a journalist, sports writer, reporter and producer, excelling in sports investigative journalism and winning multiple awards for his soccer stories and exposes.
During his younger days when he was known as “Chicks”, he excelled in athletics at school in Atteridgeville and made it into the soccer team at Pretoria All Stars and later at Pretoria Minnesota.
Thomas the township boy also became famous in the Continental sports arena. He is highly motivated by playing an inspirational role for the youth, especially those aspiring to become journalists.
His historic moments in soccer and sports journalism of this married father of three, include the following:
Becoming a journalist in 1983 with colourful careers at Rand Daily Mail, Star, Sunday Star, Soccer News, Sunday Times, Independent Saturday, SABC, Kaya and Metro FM; excelling in Corporate matches during which he won countless “Man of the Match” Awards; being captain of the “The Star” newspaper winners of Gold in the Annual Argus Newspapers Tournament; winning the “Top Goal-Scorer” Award with nine goals in five matches of this tournament; won man of the match awards countless times during 91/92/93 at these tournaments; founded TKVision Company producing soccer documentaries and magazines for Super Sport; presenting Soccer Africa at Super Sport since 2011; and being Chief Editor of Inside Sport-Africa.
The following are the glorious awards he accumulated in his illustrious career:
Silver medal at the 1987 Argus Annual Games; winning the 1988 SAB Merit Award; winning the 1989 SABC Victor Ludorum Award for Radio Presenting; the 1992 SAB Black Sports Writer of the Year; the 1992 Adidas Golden Pen Award; the 1993 SAB Merit Award; the 1994 Coca-Cola Feature Writer of the Series Award; the 1996 SAB Sportswriter of the Year; the 1996 Ruth First Courageous Journalism Award; the 1997 Metropolitan Award; the 1998 MTN Sportswriter of the Year; and the 2001 SAB Media Day Tournament Gold Medal.
