South Africa: The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture wishes to pay tribute to long-standing sports activist Cheryl Roberts who passed away yesterday. Cheryl was amongst the members of the first National Executive Committee of the National Sports Council – the forerunners of SASCOC.
She also represented South Africa as a Table Tennis player in the South African team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
An undoubted advocate and activist of non-racial Sports and, in particular, women, Cheryl Roberts, dedicated her life to unearthing young talented female women, many of whom have blossomed into successful athletes. Cheryl authored many publications on grassroots sports development and those that profiled women in Sports.
Amongst the accolades she received was being awarded the coveted Andrew Mlangeni Green Jacket, an award that honours the esteemed Rivonia trialist, Andrew Mlangeni, who is an embodiment of life-long participation in Sport and being inducted in the gsport Hall of Fame.
Cheryl’s drive and enthusiasm will be sorely missed. Her family’s loss is shared by many in the sports movement.
The Official Twitter page of the Springboks and all things Rugby in SA also paid tribute by writing, “We are saddened to hear of the passing of Cheryl Roberts, a staunch supporter of women’s Sport, a champion of equal opportunities, and an activist for women on the SA sporting landscape. May she rest in peace; our thoughts are with her family” – Mark Alexander, SARU President.”
Cricket Commentator and Founder of gsport4girls “Kass Naido” wrote: Cheryl Roberts was shortlisted for the Woman in Social Media award at #gsport17 this year. She opted out of the top three to give a young person in the industry an opportunity to shine. Our timelines are poorer without her daily stories of young women in Sport making their mark.
Cheryl Roberts posted and spoke so much about women in sports. The up and coming and the established. She was not only an amazing athlete but an activist that worked tirelessly to fight for those that could not fight for themselves.
'I can't live a normal life. I was raised by the street. So I gotta be down with the hood team. I'm an educated fool with money on my mind'……Thank you for the music Coolio. You were on another level pic.twitter.com/XAceV8WkWT
— cheryl roberts (@cherylroberts00) September 29, 2022
