{"id":2313,"date":"2026-06-28T09:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T06:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T09:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T06:17:37","slug":"memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/","title":{"rendered":"Memoir Cup Kicks Off Across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Grassroots Starts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The First Bank and Samuel Okwaraji Foundation (SOF) national secondary schools football championship\u2014known as the Memoir Cup\u2014has started in multiple locations across the country.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Memoir Cup is underway across several states as the national secondary schools tournament gets its campaign off the ground.<\/li>\n<li>The competition is being run in three stages, beginning with state championships that are currently taking place.<\/li>\n<li>State winners will move into zonal playoffs before the remaining teams reach a national final to decide the overall champion.<\/li>\n<li>The Samuel Okwaraji Foundation was established to commemorate Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji, who died after collapsing while serving the Super Eagles on August 12, 1989.<\/li>\n<li>Senator Osita Izunaso praised First Bank for teaming up with the foundation to broaden the tournament\u2019s reach nationwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Three-phase format for the Memoir Cup<\/h2>\n<p>Organised together with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria School Sports Federation (NSSF), the inaugural edition of the Memoir Cup will be conducted in three phases.<\/p>\n<p>State championships are already in progress and will determine champions from all 36 states plus the Federal Capital Territory.<\/p>\n<p>Those state titleholders will then advance to zonal playoffs, and the teams that emerge from those rounds will go on to a national final, where the overall winner of the tournament will be crowned.<\/p>\n<h2>Honouring Samuel Okwaraji and building grassroots talent<\/h2>\n<p>Speaking as chairman of the tournament\u2019s steering committee, Senator Osita Izunaso explained that the Samuel Okwaraji Foundation was created to honour the late Nigerian football figure Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji.<\/p>\n<p>Izunaso recalled that Okwaraji collapsed and died while on active duty with the Super Eagles on August 12, 1989, during a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Angola at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the foundation\u2019s goal is to create a pathway for identifying promising young footballers at secondary school level across Nigeria, while supporting grassroots development through well-structured school competitions.<\/p>\n<h2>First Bank partnership underlines national reach<\/h2>\n<p>Senator Izunaso also commended First Bank for partnering with the foundation, saying the collaboration is aimed at ensuring the tournament is able to reach every state in the federation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The First Bank and Samuel Okwaraji Foundation (SOF) national secondary schools football championship\u2014known as the Memoir Cup\u2014has started in multiple locations across the country. Key takeaways The Memoir Cup is underway across several states as the national secondary schools tournament gets its campaign off the ground. The competition is being run in three stages, beginning [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Memoir Cup: First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools Football","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Memoir Cup: First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools Football<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Memoir Cup: First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools Football\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-28T06:17:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"387\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zalebs\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zibuyile Dladla\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Memoir Cup Kicks Off Across Nigeria as First Bank\\\/SOF Grassroots Starts\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-28T06:17:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":360,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/\",\"name\":\"Memoir Cup: First Bank\\\/SOF Secondary Schools Football\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-28T06:17:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\\\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp\",\"width\":576,\"height\":387},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Memoir Cup Kicks Off Across Nigeria as First Bank\\\/SOF Grassroots Starts\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Africa New Media Group\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/logo-new.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/logo-new.webp\",\"width\":350,\"height\":132,\"caption\":\"Africa New Media Group\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/ZAlebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/Zalebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/zalebs\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@ZalebsEntertainment\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\",\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\"},\"description\":\"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/za.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/author\\\/zibuyile-dladla\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Memoir Cup: First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools Football","description":"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Memoir Cup: First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools Football","og_description":"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","article_published_time":"2026-06-28T06:17:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":576,"height":387,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Zibuyile Dladla","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Zalebs","twitter_site":"@Zalebs","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zibuyile Dladla","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Memoir Cup Kicks Off Across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Grassroots Starts","datePublished":"2026-06-28T06:17:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/"},"wordCount":360,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/","name":"Memoir Cup: First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools Football","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-28T06:17:37+00:00","description":"The Memoir Cup begins across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Secondary Schools football launches state championships\u2014three stages leadin","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/first-bank-sof-grassroots-football-3ccd.webp","width":576,"height":387},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/memoir-cup-kicks-off-across-nigeria-as-first-bank-sof-grassroots-starts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Zalebs","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Memoir Cup Kicks Off Across Nigeria as First Bank\/SOF Grassroots Starts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","name":"Zalebs","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Africa New Media Group","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/logo-new.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/logo-new.webp","width":350,"height":132,"caption":"Africa New Media Group"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","https:\/\/x.com\/Zalebs","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/zalebs","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@ZalebsEntertainment"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e","name":"Zibuyile Dladla","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1f581f0bb57ed4fd97eeb8353242d5a3c12548c2ff26373e9e5be1e00d4fad05?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zibuyile Dladla"},"description":"Zibuyile began her media journey as a sales intern at Mediamark (Kagiso Media) before moving into digital content creation for ZAlebs.com. Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}