{"id":2618,"date":"2026-07-03T09:56:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T06:56:26","slug":"dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"D\u2019Tigers Rally Past Tunisia 84-81 as Metu and Iroegbu Lead the Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nigeria\u2019s D\u2019Tigers opened the latest FIBA World Cup qualifying window with a tough, come-from-the-match victory, beating Tunisia 84-81 in a closely fought contest.<\/p>\n<h2>Key takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>D\u2019Tigers secured a three-point win over Tunisia, 84-81, to begin the qualifying window on a high note.<\/li>\n<li>Chimezie Metu and Ike Iroegbu topped the scoring for Nigeria with 17 points apiece.<\/li>\n<li>Wes Iwundu finished with 14 points and Uche Iroegbu added 13 in the high-energy matchup.<\/li>\n<li>The win keeps Nigeria\u2019s qualification hopes moving in the right direction as the window continues.<\/li>\n<li>Nigeria still has games scheduled against Guinea and Rwanda, with coach David Fizdale aiming to turn momentum into more results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Balanced scoring and a tense finish<\/h2>\n<p>Chimezie Metu and Ike Iroegbu were the main offensive sparks for Nigeria, each producing 17 points as D\u2019Tigers found a way to control the game\u2019s crucial moments. Wes Iwundu contributed 14, while Uche Iroegbu added 13 to round out a well-distributed scoring effort.<\/p>\n<p>Tunisia and Nigeria traded pressure throughout, with neither side able to create a lasting gap early on. Despite the back-and-forth nature of the match, Nigeria ultimately stayed composed in the final stretch, converting key possessions to secure the narrow margin.<\/p>\n<h2>What comes next for D\u2019Tigers<\/h2>\n<p>This result boosts Nigeria\u2019s chances of advancing through the qualification process. The current window still includes two additional fixtures, with D\u2019Tigers set to face Guinea and Rwanda in the remaining games.<\/p>\n<p>Head coach David Fizdale will now seek to build on the momentum from this opening win, with the goal of adding more victories as Nigeria continues the qualifying campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nigeria\u2019s D\u2019Tigers opened the latest FIBA World Cup qualifying window with a tough, come-from-the-match victory, beating Tunisia 84-81 in a closely fought contest. Key takeaways D\u2019Tigers secured a three-point win over Tunisia, 84-81, to begin the qualifying window on a high note. Chimezie Metu and Ike Iroegbu topped the scoring for Nigeria with 17 points [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2617,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu & Iroegbu Shine 84-81","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2618","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>D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu &amp; Iroegbu Shine 84-81<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts\" \/>\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\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu &amp; Iroegbu Shine 84-81\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/\" \/>\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=\"2026-07-03T06:56:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"574\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"360\" \/>\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=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"D\u2019Tigers Rally Past Tunisia 84-81 as Metu and Iroegbu Lead the Way\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-03T06:56:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":276,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/\",\"name\":\"D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu & Iroegbu Shine 84-81\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-03T06:56:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp\",\"width\":574,\"height\":360},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"D\u2019Tigers Rally Past Tunisia 84-81 as Metu and Iroegbu Lead the Way\"}]},{\"@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":"D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu & Iroegbu Shine 84-81","description":"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts","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\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu & Iroegbu Shine 84-81","og_description":"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","article_published_time":"2026-07-03T06:56:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":574,"height":360,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.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":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"D\u2019Tigers Rally Past Tunisia 84-81 as Metu and Iroegbu Lead the Way","datePublished":"2026-07-03T06:56:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/"},"wordCount":276,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/","name":"D\u2019Tigers vs Tunisia: Metu & Iroegbu Shine 84-81","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-03T06:56:26+00:00","description":"D\u2019Tigers kick off FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a thrilling 84-81 win over Tunisia, powered by Metu and Iroegbu\u2019s 17-point bursts","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/fiba-world-cup-metu-iroegbu-72ff.webp","width":574,"height":360},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/dtigers-rally-past-tunisia-84-81-as-metu-and-iroegbu-lead-the-way\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Zalebs","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"D\u2019Tigers Rally Past Tunisia 84-81 as Metu and Iroegbu Lead the Way"}]},{"@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\/2618","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=2618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}