“I congratulate Patricia Kambarami for being chosen as the Woman of the Year,” said Jessica Motaung at the SPAR gsport Awards function in Johannesburg on Friday evening.

The Kaizer Chiefs Marketing Director was nominated for the gsport Woman of the Year award category, another was Orlando Pirates’ Thandi Merafe.

It turned out to be the most difficult category for the judges to finalise, as the five judges went through two rounds of tie-breaks. Eventually, Northern Titans Cricket COO Patricia Kambarami emerged as the surprise winner of the award, beating off stiff competition from Motaung, who had won the online vote for the gsport Woman of the Year award and Merafe.

Caroline Wostmann won the 2015 SPAR Athlete of the Year award for becoming the fourth athlete ever to win the Two Oceans Marathon and the Comrades Marathon in the same year.

It is gsport’s mission to promote sports women as well as women working in sport.

The event on Friday night was a partnership between gsport and the Department of Sport and Recreation.

Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula bestowed the Ministerial Recognition of Excellence Awards on running legend Zola Budd, former track and field star Geraldine Pillay, high-jump icon Hestrie Els (nee Cloete), Paralympics medallist Zanele Situ, and grassroots sports pioneer Faith Sibeko.

Paralympic icon Natalie du Toit was inducted into the gsport Hall of Fame.

“Events like these recognise women in sport and the work they do,” reflected Motaung on the gsport Awards evening, “That is important, especially in Women’s Month.”