The chairman of the Board of Directors of the Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd Ryno Opperman and managing director of the Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd Harold Verster welcome the appointment of Jerry Segwaba as the newly elected president of the Free State Rugby Union and as a director of the Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd.
They look forward to working in a close relationship with the new president and the union, as well as his two deputies.
Sobi John Jeremiah Segwaba was born in March 1969 in a small dusty town of Theunissen in the Free State, and the same year his parents relocated to Welkom in the Goldfields to search for greener pastures.
This is where he did both his primary and secondary education at Dirisanang Primary and Thotagauta Secondary Schools respectively.
It was during these days that he started becoming sport an activist in the Thabong Township and also an active member of Lakers Table Tennis Club and where he was introduced to sport administration when the club became affiliated to the then Northern Areas Table Tennis Association (Natta) under the able leadership of Dr George Mukhari.
In high school, he was elected both as the Congress of South African Students(Cosas), Executive Member of Welkom branch and Provincial Committees responsible for sport portfolio responsible for organising students to join progressive sport movement.
Two years later, he was elected as the first Provincial Chairperson of the Free State Youth Council where all youth political formations converge to discuss youth related issues affecting young people in the province irrespective of their political beliefs or affiliation.
The same year, Segwaba was elected the National Sport Council (NSC) Northern Free State Regional Chairperson and later the Provincial Chair of the NSC in the Free State Province.
In 1993, Jerry joined the Free State Cricket Union as a Development Officer in the Goldfields area until in 1997, when he got an offer at the Free State Academy of Sport as a Provincial Co-coordinator in Bloemfontein.
That is where he also received the opportunity to register for a Sport Development and Management Diploma with the University of Free State. The following list showcases some of the roles and positions Segwaba has held in his career as a sport administrator:
1995 – World Rugby Cup Liaison Officer for Japan Rugby Team
1996 – Government Coordinator for Caf African Cup of Nations in the Free State
2000 – Part of the Free State team to Australia for Fact Finding Mission on High Performance model for Free State Province which culminated in the establishment of the Free State Sport Science Institute.
2000 -2004 Chair of the South African Council of Provinces in Sport (SACOPIS)
2004 – 2008 President of the Free State Sport Council
2008 -2012 President of Free State Sport Confederation
2009 - Provincial Coordinator: Fifa Confederation’s Cup
2010 – Provincial Coordinator: Fifa World Cup
Board Member: SA Sport Confederation and Olympic Committee
President: Free State Sport Confederation
2013-14: Independent Director: Central Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd
2015-16: Independent Director: Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd
2016-17: Deputy President: Free State Rugby Union
2016-17: Director: Free State Cheetahs (Pty) Ltd