Robert Marawa (Born: 1st March 1973, Age: 50-year-old) is quite a force to reckon with in the South African media circle. One of the highest earners in the industry, the 50-year-old is a sportscaster, the most popular among his peers.
His robust career has covered both the radio and television space for more than twenty years and it has only gotten better for the presenter. However, his success story has not been without hiccups, and he doesn’t seem to have seen the end of it. But the world-renowned anchor is not one to let a few hurdles on the road affect his vision and mission in his career.
Robert Marawa Was Studying Law Before He Found His Niche In Journalism
Considering the level of success he has attained in the field, it is easy to conclude that Robert Marawa went to college with plans of majoring in journalism, but that is hardly the case. The media guru was born and raised in South Africa, in KwaZulu-Natal’s Vryheid community to be precise. His date of birth is recorded on March 1, 1973, making him 50 years old.
Most of his childhood days were spent in his place of birth before he moved to Gauteng. For his secondary school education, Marawa attended Hilton College which is close to Pietermaritzburg. When it was time for college, he chose the University of Witwatersrand to study Law. This was in 1992 but somehow, he found himself pursuing a career in journalism instead.
His Career On TV Began As An SABC 1 Anchor When He Was 23 Years Old
Despite the fact that he studied Law in college, Marawa saw that his talent was in the media industry and so he took the chance to build a career there. He began by joining SABC 1 in 1996, staying with the media house for two years. His first year at the station was spent in the position of continuity presenter. By the second year, he moved to sports broadcasting which marked his steady rise to the top echelons.
Now a known sports presenter, Robert Marawa anchored a live football show called Laduma on Topsport. His job as the host of the football highlights show, Soccerzone, came later on SABC 1. The show airs every Monday with his teeming fans looking forward to every episode. Marawa’s career has further grown beyond TV as the presenter also serves as the host of Discovery Sports Centre which airs weekdays on the SABC radio station – Metro FM. He has also worked at SABC 2, hosting the Blow by Blow boxing show. Apparently, football is not his only forte as a sportscaster.
Marawa hit a career jackpot in 2006 when he got the opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup in Germany and in the same year, he served as the host of the People’s Celebration Concern. In that same year, the presenter landed a coveted spot as a Supersport journalist.
Robert Marawa Joined Supersports In 2006 and Got Fired In 2019
After leaving SABC TV, Marawa moved on to his new job at SuperSport but his show on Metro FM remained the same. His show at the sports TV station was known as Thursday Night Live with Robert Marawa which aired on Supersport 4. On Metro FM, he anchors Sports@6 with Robert Marawa. Things were moving smoothly for the sports commentator in his career life before the news went round in 2019 that he was fired by SuperSports.
I received a text around 18H50 tonight informing me that I should not bother coming to Studio for Thursday Night Live with Marawa Show on @SuperSportTV… I would like to thank all those who have supported my journey as a Sportscaster & those I've worked with at Supersport! ✌🏼✌🏼
— robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) May 16, 2019
According to the presenter, he was fired through a text message sent about two hours before his show went live. He hinted that the decision to sack him had a lot to do with the way he spoke against allegations of sexual harassment at SuperSport that were not handled appropriately.
Working and reflecting….Imagine paying for a service where people who r guilty of sexual harassment r employed and encouraged to work!! Lovely hey….
— robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) May 16, 2019
After sacking Marawa, the show was solely anchored by co-host Thato Moeng who awkwardly tried to carry everyone along while emphasizing the fact that the show was ending with that episode.
Marawa Is Not Ready To Go Back To Supersports
Following his dismissal from the station, fans rallied around him in support, flooding social media with calls to reinstate the sportscaster. From 2019 to 2021, the calls have not yielded any positive results. Besides, Marawa has made it clear that he has no interest in the job again.
Taking to social media where his millions of fans have been rooting for him, Marawa expressed gratitude for their support but made it clear that he won’t go back to where he is not wanted. He stated that he is looking at the future not backward. He has also revealed his plans to start an online sports channel on YouTube.
Supersports Is Not The First Station To Fire Robert Marawa
Back in 2017, SABC fired Robert Marawa from Metro FM but he was later reinstated. He got the axe following his decision to show solidarity for his producer – Beverly Maphangwa who was fired. Subsequently, Marawa refused to return to the show which led to his dismissal but due to popular demand for the beloved presenter, the public broadcaster had no choice but to bring him back.
SoccerZone which airs on SABC1 also had him removed. A second sack letter also came from the public broadcaster in 2021 when they released a statement that they have decided to let the popular presenter go.
Ironically, a text message was the medium through which Robert was fired by the SABC. He shared a screenshot of the text for his fans to see, insinuating that the station, and SuperSports, are apparently scared of giving him the chance to host his last show.
So after serving the Public Broadcaster through time, I am sent yet another text from a person in an "acting" position informing me of this.👇🏾👇🏾
Same modus operandi as SS.What do they fear about the last Show??
Thank you Mzansi for the love & support thru the years. #MSW 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/WIoqZpbFX0
— robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) July 30, 2021
Interestingly, the same day the presenter was fired, his show on SABC – Marawa Sports Worldwide (MSW), received the award for Best Sports Show: Commercial at the SA Radio Awards.
What Has Robert Marawa Been Up To Ever Since?
Robert Marawa appears to have put all of his focus into his YouTube channel, Marawa.tv. As of August 2021, it had over 72 thousand subscribers. The TV presenter has also launched a dedicated website that he describes as “an all-access, opinion-based, on-the-ground sports content channel for a global audience”. As expected, the turn up has been good and he is doing a great job.
