It has been a meteoric rise for WSU alumnus, Lux September, whose journey as one of the continent’s top sports administrators began as a teenager in the rural towns of Tsomo and Ngqamakwe in the Eastern Cape.
From the most humble of beginnings as a secretary of a lowly football league at age 13, the WSU journalism graduate now heads the television/advertising department at the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF), Africa’s foremost footballing body headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.
“It’s been two months since I took over as the head of TV/ Commercial at CAF. This is one of the key roles at CAF as it is responsible for half of the federation’s revenues amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This section is the lifeblood of African football because the television money generated is used for development and staging of competitions within the continent,” he said.
None seems more primed than September to take over the position, owing to his vast professional experience spanning 15 years as a sports administrator at the highest international level. And most recently, as head of CAF’s operations and media relations – a position he landed just 14 months ago.
At just the tender age of 23, September joined the FIFA 2010 World Cup working team as a consultant – a watershed moment in his professional career that would see him eventually landing top jobs such as the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) senior manager, as well as doing consultancy work for the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA).
“We’ve inherited a CAF with many reputational challenges. Thus, we need to restore trust amongst the people. Fortunately, I have Dr Patrice Motsepe as a leader, someone I can talk to on regular basis - a leader who has a solid track record in turning around organizations. We are fortunate to have someone like him leading African football in these challenging times,” he said.
Though exciting, the enormity of the task ahead isn’t lost on September, whose central assignment will be to reimagine the CAF brand and product so it’s attractive to potential audiences – a task he characterizes as critical for the survival and future of African football.
An unashamed African child, his everyday toil is geared towards connecting sport to the hearts and souls of the African people and for the masses to realize the opportunities that lie in wait within sport for the success and emancipation of the African people.
“My passion is Africa - our continent that desperately needs leadership. I love sport. I love politics. I love innovation. Sport or football to be specific, connects you to the hearts and souls of people.”
September continued to say “Sport is the platform we can use to create the Africa we want - we can breed a culture of excellence. In my country, I often hear people say Sport is a 'social cohesion' - frankly, that irritates me a bit, because for me, sport is a business and the business of sport is big.”
For a man who grew up without running water or electricity, September has been a source of sustenance and a bearer of light, most notably, through his non-profit organisation called ‘uLwazi Project’ which focuses on uplifting the youth through education; career guidance; literacy and sport.
By Thando Cezula
