AKHONA
Zennith Makalima
Sometimes you kick and scream because opportunities are not coming, and then when you are given that opportunity, you are not ready. So, when you get that opportunity, you need to be ready, grab it with both hands and run with it.
ABOUT
AKHONA
Akhona Zennith Makalima (b. 27 March 1988 in Nqamakwe, Eastern Cape) is a trailblazing South African football referee. Earning her FIFA badge in 2014, she became the first female referee to officiate in a Premier Soccer League (PSL) match—debuting on 28 February 2015 in a fixture between University of Pretoria and Mpumalanga Black Aces.
WHAT AKHONA
STANDS FOR
- Equality & representation – She works to dismantle gender bias in football.
- Empowerment through sports – Believes sport boosts confidence,
academics, and life prospects. - Education & continual development – Advocates for education’s
role in refereeing and broader life skills.
INVITE AKHONA
Invite Akhona Makhalima, Speaker and Coach on Gender Equality, Ethics and Women Empowerment, to speak at your event.
Book through either of the links below:
Book through Speak In
Book through South Africa Speaker Bureau
SheRef Her Legacy is Akhona’s own mentorship and development initiative — evolving from Inter Refs and aligned with her reputation as “She Ref.” It operates mainly in
Eastern Cape but aspires to national reach, aiming to produce a generation of female referees and sports leaders.
FOUNDATION
AKHONA’S
INVOLVEMENT
AKHONA IN ACTION
GALLERY
