SHARPEVILLE.- When Sedibeng Ster Sport took a photo of Esther Ramokonopi practicing together with her teammates outside the George Thabe Stadium Stadium some two years ago little did this journalist know that today she would be playing abroad.

Ramokonopi joined a Gori United Ladies team in Georgia early this year after the club saw her potential through their scouts in South Africa.

Sedibeng Ster Sport took the picture of Ramokonopi and her teammates playing soccer on the field that is next to George Thabe Stadium during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown.  She and her teammates were keeping themselves busy as the sport was suspended due to this pandemic which led the country to be shut down. Ramokonopi was playing for a Sharpeville amateur ladies’ team known as Vaal Stars Ladies as their goalkeeper.

This good news of her overseas deal was broken to Sedibeng Ster Sport by Thabo Morabe who is a lawyer by profession. Morabe said he was approached by Ramokonopi to assist her to raise funds to jet out of the country for trials in Georgia.

“At first I thought it was one of the scams when this young lady approached me to help her financially to go to Georgia. I asked her if this was not a scam because many players have been scammed through football. I went to see her parents to make sure if this was real and her mother confirmed to me it, and it was indeed for real.

“I invited her to Lekoa FM because on that day I was invited to talk on one of their programs for men-related issues, and I asked the radio presenter if he can interview her to ask for help from the Sedibeng community but unfortunately it was such a short notice and I helped her with a little that I had. “I was happy when she told me that she is in Georgia and that she has already played her first game for her new club,” said Morabe.

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster Sport, via WhatsApp, Ramokonopi said her ambition is to play for Banyana Banyana.

“I’m enjoying my football career here and I have settled well and my teammates made things possible for me. They made me feel at home on my first day of training with the team and they push me hard at training. I’m the only black player here, but the respect they give me is the best,” she told Sedibeng Ster Sport.