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Former Bafana Bafana star Siphiwe “Shabba” Tshabalala recently shared news of his transition from football to higher education, revealing that he completed the prestigious Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports (BEMS) programme at Harvard Business School.
The 41-year-old football legend shared the milestone on his social media pages, posting pictures of himself standing next to the iconic Harvard sign. He captioned the post: “This chapter of my life is called ‘My turn’.”
Tshabalala was among a group of executives, elite athletes and top entertainers who attended the four-day programme.
Best known globally for scoring the historic first goal of Bafana’s opening 2010 Fifa World Cup match against Mexico, Shabba also shared a candid classroom video featuring 23-year-old Real Madrid and French international midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with whom he shared a class.
Reflecting on the experience, Tshabalala expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to learn alongside global leaders.
“I was empowered at the best learning institution in the world, and I’m eternally grateful,” he said. “I was in a room with great minds from different sectors in entertainment, media and sports. My perspective was empowered.”
He thanked his professor, Anita Elberse, who also celebrated the graduating class on her own social media accounts.
“What an amazingly accomplished and good-hearted group of people it was,” Elberse wrote. “I am so lucky that my job entails hanging out with such wonderful humans.”
Beyond his latest academic achievement and his legendary career as a professional footballer, Tshabalala is the chairperson of the Siphiwe Tshabalala Foundation, an organisation dedicated to empowering youth and giving back to local communities.
Shabba recently celebrated a massive achievement by his wife, former Miss South Africa Bokang Montjane-Tshabalala, who secured the Miss World South Africa franchise.
“This was on your vision board way before you became Miss South Africa in 2010, and God finally answered,” Tshabalala said in a heartfelt tribute to his wife. “Destiny can be delayed but never denied.”
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