Popular sportscaster, Robert Marawa. Picture: Supplied.
POPULAR sportscaster Robert Marawa, has teamed up with local comedian Skhumba Hlophe, to host a football show that seeks to inform and entertain viewers.
Marawa, who is the brainchild of many of Mzansi’s long-lasting sports shows, including “SoccerZone” and “Extra Time”, among others, is co-hosting a new Showmax sports magazine show titled, “The Quantum Football Show”.
It sees Hlophe behind the wheel of the Quantum, driving through the streets of Johannesburg with Marawa in the passenger seat. Along the way, they stop to pick up guests whom they engage in discussions about Mzansi’s most loved sport: football.
“I am always up for something different ‒ from anchoring in the studio, which is very structured, very formal, this is something where you get to be the ‘fan’, you get to do what a whole lot of South Africans do when they go to a football game ... You get to be the person who is part of those conversations,” he told Independent Media Lifestyle.
The duo make great co-hosts ‒ there is no script and their guests talk straight from the heart.
“We have to guide so that there is authenticity and that there is a way where people can look at the show and say that they can learn something from it.
“I am extremely excited. It is something that’s long-overdue, just to tap into the minds of what ordinary South Africans would do in one of the most famous, and probably most loved and hated modes of transport,” shared Marawa.
Adding a bit of humour into the mix makes the journey all the more fun. “Skhumba is crazy. I love his energy. I love the fact that he loves football. I know that he listens to my radio show everyday. He was also a guest on one of my shows on ”SuperSport“, so I knew from back then that he loves football.
“He also has knowledge of events that have happened, and to intertwine that with the humour that he comes with as a comedian, and just as a person in general, I think it’s really great to have that mix.
“You can’t have football and conversations around football and people looking like they are in a procession to go bury someone, so you got to have a very good mix, but a realistic one, because I think South Africans are very jolly people,” added the 947 radio presenter.
He explained that the aim of the show is to extract as much information from guests so that viewers also feel a part of the ride but walk away feeling like they’ve learnt so much.
Marawa’s passion for football started when he was a child. When he discovered the game ‒ and a radio ‒ he would never miss the a commentary.
“I grew up on a farm, Nkandla and there is not much happening there, but all I know is that when I encountered this sport and this radio, that just became a hook for me,” he said.
“I didn’t know where it would take me, but I really became ‒hook, line and sinker ‒ devoted to the journey. When I had an idea, I worked triple hard at it because I needed to ensure that my parents understood that I didn’t let them down, and that me going in a different direction was also something that would make them proud.”
He added that he always aims to make the lived experience for the consumer of the product greater than it was when he was growing up.
“Growing up, what I was seeing on TV didn’t excite me and I lived in the hope that one day I would be in a space where I can make that change. I always say, whether it was the book I wrote or the work that I continue to do, I always try to inspire that kid that’s living in hopelessness.”
As for how he’s managed stayed relevant over his illustrious career, he said: “I think the whole journey has always been about how I can change the consumption of the game before the kick-off and after the game so that the game continues to be talked about long after the final whistle has gone. So ... reinvention, dedication, staying true to the game and just always being relatable to the people.”