The red carpet will be rolled out in a night of glitz and glamour when the 2025 South African Sports Awards take place at the magnificent Sun City Superbowl tonight.
This is the biggest night for sports stars who have shown the world what it is like to compete at the highest level.
The likes of Akani Simbine, Tatjana Smith, Kgothatso Montjane, Pieter-Stephanus Du Toit and Mzansi rising athlete Bayanda Walaza will grace the event. Tonight’s edition of the awards recognises South African sporting achievements from January 1 to December 31, 2024.
For the Sportsman of the Year, world-class sprinter Akani Simbine is against Pieter-Stephanus Du Toit and Alan Hatherly. Hatherly, the little-known mountain bike racer, claimed two XCO World Cup wins, one XCC World Cup win, bronze medal at the Olympic Games, bronze medal at the XCC World Champs, gold at the XCO World Champs, winner of the XCO World Series and ranked World No 1 for more than five months!
Simbine’s 2024 achievements are out of this world. He won a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympic Games and 4th in the Olympic 100m final in a new SA record of 9.82 seconds. Du Toit, one of few South Africans to have won a Rugby World Cup twice, also had a fantastic 2024. He was part of the victorious 2019 and 2023 World Cup-winning Springbok teams. He was also named World Rugby Player of the Year twice.
In the biggest award of the year, the nominees are Simbine, swimmer Tatjana Smith and Paralympic track athlete, Mpumelelo Mhlongo. Smith and Mhlongo have set the scene alight and will give Africa’s fastest man a run for his money.
Here are some of the biggest awards on offer tonight:
Sport Star of the Year: Akani Simbine, Tatjana Smith and Mpumelelo Mhlongo.
Sportswoman of the Year: Tatjana Smith, Tasneem Solomons andLaura Wolvaardt.
Sportsman of the Year: Alan Hatherly, Akani Simbine and Pieter-Stephanus Du Toit.
Sport Team of the Year: 4x100m Men’s Team (Paris Olympics), Donald Ramphadi & Lucas Sithole and Protea Women Team – Cricket – T20.
Coach of the Year: Jason Sewanyana, Rocco Meiring and Andries Kruger.
Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability: Kgothatso Montjane, Simone Kruger and Minke Janse van Rensburg.
Sportsman of the Year with a Disability: Mpumelelo Mhlongo, Pieter du Preez and Jean-Paul Veaudry.
Sport Administrator of the Year: Gavin Crookes, Pholetsi Moseki and Hezekiel Sepeng.
Youth/Junior Sport Star of the Year: Bayanda Walaza, Noah Bennett and Simoné Kruger.
