{"id":3062,"date":"2026-07-12T14:27:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:27:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T14:27:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T11:27:03","slug":"zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Zambia Set for WAFCON Clash, Warn Super Falcons Ahead of Group Showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons have been handed an early warning before a pivotal 2026 Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) group match after Zambia defender Margaret Belemu insisted the Copper Queens are fully prepared to test the reigning champions.<\/p>\n<p>Zambia have been placed in Group C alongside Egypt and Malawi, setting up what is expected to be the highlight of the section: their Matchday Two meeting with Nigeria on August 1 at the Stade Olympique de Rabat. With the group\u2019s final standings likely to hinge on results in this round, the clash could prove decisive in deciding who finishes at the top.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria will arrive in the tournament as the reigning African champions, while Zambia see the competition as an opportunity to demonstrate that their progress has turned them into legitimate title contenders rather than recurring challengers.<\/p>\n<p>Belemu\u2019s comments come despite Nigeria\u2019s dominant history in recent WAFCON phases. In the quarter-finals of the previous edition, the Super Falcons swept past Zambia with a 5-0 win. However, the defender believes her team has moved on significantly since that encounter.<\/p>\n<h2>Belemu\u2019s message ahead of Nigeria clash<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Belemu acknowledged that Group C presents a tough challenge for Zambia.<\/li>\n<li>She said Zambia are \u201cbattle-ready\u201d and view Nigeria as a major test that the Copper Queens are eager to face.<\/li>\n<li>She pointed out that Zambia previously lost to Nigeria in their most recent meeting, but argued the upcoming game will be a different challenge.<\/li>\n<li>Belemu added that Zambia are preparing well and expect to be ready once the tournament gets underway.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Under Swiss coach Nora H\u00e4uptle, Zambia\u2019s upward trajectory in African women\u2019s football has continued, with the Copper Queens developing a quick, attack-oriented style. Zambia\u2019s belief is also supported by earlier evidence of how they can handle Nigeria at WAFCON level, including their 1-0 win over the Super Falcons in the third-place match at the 2022 tournament\u2014an outcome that demonstrated they can overcome the nine-time champions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons have been handed an early warning before a pivotal 2026 Women\u2019s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) group match after Zambia defender Margaret Belemu insisted the Copper Queens are fully prepared to test the reigning champions. Zambia have been placed in Group C alongside Egypt and Malawi, setting up what is expected to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3061,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3062","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>Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up\" \/>\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\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/\" \/>\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=\"2026-07-12T11:27:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"734\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"527\" \/>\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\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zibuyile Dladla\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e\"},\"headline\":\"Zambia Set for WAFCON Clash, Warn Super Falcons Ahead of Group Showdown\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-12T11:27:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":340,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/\",\"name\":\"Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-12T11:27:03+00:00\",\"description\":\"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp\",\"width\":734,\"height\":527},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Zalebs\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/zalebs.com\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Zambia Set for WAFCON Clash, Warn Super Falcons Ahead of Group Showdown\"}]},{\"@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":"Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu","description":"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up","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\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu","og_description":"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up","og_url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/","og_site_name":"Zalebs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ZAlebs","article_published_time":"2026-07-12T11:27:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":734,"height":527,"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.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\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/"},"author":{"name":"Zibuyile Dladla","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/6da1a9a659a2b9fb37587bf050637d1e"},"headline":"Zambia Set for WAFCON Clash, Warn Super Falcons Ahead of Group Showdown","datePublished":"2026-07-12T11:27:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/"},"wordCount":340,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/","name":"Zambia vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026: Falcons Warned by Belemu","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-12T11:27:03+00:00","description":"Zambia\u2019s Margaret Belemu fires a warning to Nigeria\u2019s Super Falcons ahead of WAFCON 2026 Group C showdown\u2014can the Copper Queens up","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/zambia-dare-super-falcons-ahead-fcbb.webp","width":734,"height":527},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zambia-set-for-wafcon-clash-warn-super-falcons-ahead-of-group-showdown\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Zalebs","item":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Zambia Set for WAFCON Clash, Warn Super Falcons Ahead of Group Showdown"}]},{"@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\/3062","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=3062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}