By Chris Totobela
The iron lady of local football and an anti Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) activist, Anelisa Bentele, is a rose among the thorns. Bentele was born here in Makhanda and is the last born of her late parents’ three children.
She started her sports journey while at Ntaba Maria Primary School. She enjoys occupying male-dominated spaces as she believes that women need to occupy these spaces if they are to make any changes to the world. She is a co-director of the Isikhalo Womxn’s Movement against GBVF and the mother of a 9-year-old son, Kungawo. Bentele, who also looks after her niece, Lusenathi, and nephew, Linathi, currently serves as the Makana Local Football Association (LFA) Treasurer. She is also an activist who fights inequality, and football gives her the opportunity to challenge inequality in a male-dominated sport.
A big follower of Manchester United, Kaizer Chiefs, Brazil, and a member of the Makhanda-based Celtics FC, Bentele enjoys watching football. She told Grocott’s Mail that if she was given the chance to lead the LFA, one of the things she would do was make sure that there is 50/50 representation in the Makana LFA executive committee. Bentele said she would also ensure that there were more women’s football teams in Makhanda, and would bring back the old combined squad made up of Makana LFA teams to play against other municipalities.
Bentele recently had the honour of kicking off the inaugural Diski Queens 7s tournament and shared her excitement with Grocott’s Mail. “It was a huge honour for me to kick off Diski Queens 7s. I was so happy to see a lot of young women playing sports and being rescued from all the bad things that they usually do in their spare time”, she said.
Bentele’s Women’s Month message is loud and clear. “The women of 1956 played their part. It is up to us now to unite and stand up and fight against a justice system that fails us as women. We need to fight and create safer communities for women, children, and our grandchildren,” she said.
