Celebrating a trailblazer in sports medicine

FROM a small village in Tzaneen to crowded international football stadiums as doctor for South Africa’s women’s national football team, Banyana Banyana, Dr Nthabiseng Maesela has proved that anything is possible.

- ZELDA VENTER

An alumna of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), Maesela has now graduated with an MSc in sports medicine at the University of Pretoria. Her achievements exemplify the transformative power of combining rigorous academic training with real-world application.

Whilst completing her studies, Maesela served as team doctor for Banyana Banyana during the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

She also supported youth development programmes, working with the U16 Men's National Team in Poland and the U17 Women's National Team, demonstrating the versatility emphasised by UP's curriculum.

Maesela also established herself as an innovative entrepreneur, co-founding the Optimum Sports and Wellness Institute in Polokwane and becoming managing director of CB Health Solutions, which operates the University of Johannesburg Sports Clinic.