By Monwabisi Jimlongo
If you want to listen to a sport commentary, which is spiced up with humour, then lend veteran Umhlobo Wenenefm commentator Mthuthuzeli Scott an ear.
There are certainly no dull moments whenever Scott is behind the microphone.
Scott, who has a knack of cracking jokes while busy doing commentary, takes you to match venues and let you feel like you are exactly where the action is.
Cradock-born Scott’s love for radio was inspired by listening to the late Radio Xhosa sport commentator Given ‘Om Givie’ Ntlebi and legendary broadcaster Peter Bacela.
“My history in sport dates back to lower primary school where I excelled as a scrum-half. I always listened to sport on Umhlobo Wenene, which was called Radio Xhosa at the time,” Scott said.
The man who is called Bro Scott by his colleagues started doing dummy commentaries while he was at Sada Higher Primary School in the Eastern Cape. He continued with his dummy commentaries at Mhlotshana High School where he passed matric (Grade 12).
Scott’s big break in sport commentary came in 1987 after the late Radio Xhosa sport commentator Makhosandile Ndzishe introduced him to radio.
And Scott, who is a fourth born in a family of six children, has grown from strength to strength since then.
That he has commentated in six FIFA World Cup tournaments, seven Africa Cup of Nations Finals and five Rugby World Cups bears testimony to the fact that Scott is a fine commentator.
“I have also done nine rugby tours with the Springboks and eight tours with Bafana Bafana,” Scott said.
The father of one has also done many boxing bouts and was at ringside doing commentary when Vuyani ‘The Beast’ Bungu stunned American Kennedy McKinney to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-featherweight belt at the Carousel Casino in Hammanskraal on 20 August 1994.
As a token of appreciation, Scott was inducted into the SAB Hall of Fame and he also received a special award from the Eastern Cape provincial government for promoting isiXhosa in sport.
“I’m still doing something that I love the most,” Scott, who has worked at SABC Sport for 34 years, said.
