Elma Smit: Sporting Emcee

Elma Smit is a leading South African sports MC and broadcast professional known for commanding live sporting stages, delivering sharp media insight, and facilitating impactful, conversation-driven events.

Elma Smit

Quick Facts:

  • Highlights:
    • First South African woman to report on the Rugby World Cup for SuperSport
    • Sport anchor on JacarandaFM’s morning show
    • Experienced TV presenter, content producer, and writer
    • Specialist in media training, event facilitation, and conversation-driven hosting
  • Formats: Sports MC and Broadcast Presenter
  • Audience: Corporate event planners, sporting bodies, award producers, conference organizers, brand activations, and media-driven events seeking a high-profile sports presenter.
  • Outcomes:
    1. Audiences gain clear, engaging, and expertly guided event conversations.
    2. Brands benefit from professional, broadcast-level delivery aligned to event objectives.
    3. Stakeholders experience seamless facilitation backed by deep media and sporting expertise.
Reading time: 2 min
Reviews: (0 reviews)
  • Travels from: Johannesburg

Talent Services

Talent Short Bio

Elma Smit is one of South Africa’s most versatile and respected sports media professionals, celebrated for her ability to excel in high-pressure, male-dominated sporting environments with confidence, clarity, and warmth. As a sports MC, she facilitates everything from intimate leadership conversations to company keynotes, awards shows, and national broadcast events.

Her media career spans radio, television, content production, and feature reporting. At 25, she became the first woman to report on the Rugby World Cup for SuperSport, marking a historic milestone and cementing her reputation as a prominent voice in South African rugby. Since 2011, she has anchored major rugby magazine shows, pitch-side coverage, and live sporting broadcasts, while also contributing to JacarandaFM’s flagship breakfast show as its sport anchor.

Elma brings a unique mix of media training expertise, legal knowledge, on-air experience, and strategic communication insight.

Elma Smit is one South Africa’s most versatile media professionals, a young woman who comfortably holds her own in an all-male sporting environment. She creates custom, conversation-driven content for your event and is particularly passionate about media training, the power of sport and women’s rights.

She brings with her a warm personable presence, a wealth of experience in hosting radio as well as TV, producing and writing (in English as well as Afrikaans). The same effortless glamour that set her apart as a sought-after model in her early twenties, is now her hallmark in the male-dominated world of sport. 

At the age of 25 Elma became the first woman to report on the Rugby World Cup for SuperSport and since 2011 she has established herself as one of the leading women in South African rugby. In addition to anchoring rugby magazine shows and pitch-side broadcasts for SuperSport, she is also a leading personality on JacarandaFM’s breakfast show, where she anchors the morning sport alongside Martin Bester & traffic anchor, Liesl Laurie.

Elma Smit also applies her legal background, creativity and knowledge of the South African media landscape as marketing consultant for South Africa’s rugby players’ association, MyPlayers.

While she is perhaps best known as the first lady of rugby, Lady Rugga, she also rose to fame for chairing discussion panels and providing plenty of business and current affairs coverage on kykNET’s immensely popular breakfast show Dagbreek alongside broadcasting legend Riaan Cruywagen. Elma Smit cut her teeth in TV as anchor of the flagship live music and entertainment show Studio1 on the erstwhile youth channel MK and spent 8 years at entertainment powerhouse 5FM as executive producer, DJ as well as presenter.

In addition to an array of corporate MC gigs, Elma has also proven her mettle as anchor or co-anchor of live award shows for broadcast, such as five SARU Player of the Year Gala dinners, the Chris Burger Petro Jackson Fund Gala Dinner, the Pendoring Toekennings, the Ghoema’s, the SAMA’s and 6 editions of the annual MK Awards.

Elam Smit has travelled extensively for television as well as influencer marketing and corporate MC work, promoting tourism destinations and hosting international conferences.

She is an ambassador for Tag Heuer in South Africa, as well as leading South African brands Kingsley Heath, Gary Rom and pHFormula.

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Talent Videos

Elma Smit | Showreel

A fast-paced 2 minute 28 second showcase of Elma Smit’s broadcast range, on-camera confidence, rugby expertise, and signature conversational interviewing style across major sporting events.

This 2 minute 28 second showreel highlights Elma Smit’s versatility and authority as a sports presenter and interviewer. The clip opens with her introducing herself as the familiar first voice audiences hear, immediately establishing her on-air presence. She seamlessly transitions into pitch-side reporting, sharing insights on team logistics, travel schedules, and preparations for the Rugby World Cup. Her delivery is polished, natural, and filled with contextual detail that strengthens viewer understanding.

Throughout the reel, Elma interviews top rugby personalities, demonstrating her ability to guide meaningful, fast-paced conversations. She speaks with athletes about personal challenges, including nutrition, performance pressures, and the broader impact of the sport. Her questions are sharp yet empathetic, revealing her strong research skills and the trust athletes place in her.

The reel also showcases Elma’s commentary during major tournaments, including the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town. She blends analytical insight with light, engaging banter, shifting smoothly between serious discussion and playful interaction. Whether on Table Mountain or pitch-side, she maintains clarity, confidence, and an energetic connection with both guests and viewers.

Key Moments

  • 00:28 Interview excerpts on nutrition, performance, and athlete challenges
  • 00:47 Discussion on France’s performance and social media influence in rugby
  • 01:05 Rugby World Cup Sevens coverage from Table Mountain
  • 01:28 Emotional interview on personal growth and overcoming stutter
  • 01:58 Lighthearted segment on interviews, captains, and media moments

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