Kgothatso Montjane honoured by Ubuntu Sports Diplomacy Award nod

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation bestowed the accolade on Montjane to acknowledge her high performance and advocacy for human rights through the sport.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Montjane says the award serves as motivation to continue to inspire other athletes.

"I mean, this Ubuntu Sport Diplomacy Award, it just shows how far I have come, the resilience I've always shown, the courage I've always shown, not giving up and for me, I just hope this can motivate the others and encourage the others never to give up," Montjane said.

The 38-year-old’s 2025 Australian Open campaign was cut short in January due to illness.

She says she is taking it easy in her journey to full recovery.

"I feel better now, I'm in a better space health-wise. My health hasn't really been the best since the year started but yeah, just hoping I could even get better than how I'm feeling at the moment but yeah, I'm getting there," she added.

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Montjane unpacks some of the challenges faced in wheelchair tennis in Africa, stating that most athletes are still in need of commercial sponsorships to assist with resources ahead of international tournaments, and highlights the fact that tennis is not a cheap sport.

"There's always one thing that we always speak for, financial support. It's hard, tennis is not a cheap sport you know and for us to get better, we need the backing, we need sponsors, we are functioning but we are not functioning with all the resources that we need so we are functioning with a bare minimum,” she explained.

“If we had a lot of support, I think the sport would grow much more than where it is at the moment because, at the moment, wheelchair tennis in Africa is the one that's really doing the most. So, we're still hopeful, we are not giving up that the support will come and we can grow the sport so that we keep it relevant."