Netball South Africa president Cecilia Molokwane reflects on the year

Following NSA's hosting of Africa’s first World Cup in 2023, Molokwane feels significant progress has been made in advancing the sport. 

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She believes netball is growing rapidly across the continent, a year since NSA hosted the World Cup on home soil with a busy program.

In an interview with SABC Sport, Molokwane, who also serves as president of the African Netball Confederation, expressed her satisfaction with the year’s achievements, both on the international stage and domestically. 

She also looked ahead to NSA’s upcoming international tours to Jamaica and the United Kingdom in January and February.

''A brilliant year. Netball has always had brilliant years. I don't think since I came in as a President of Netball South Africa, there's never been a dull year, every year it's growth and it's something new. We were expecting it to be less hectic after the world cup, but it became more hectic. We are happy that netball is growing, and we are getting new faces and getting new things done. And we have new challenges, said Molokwane.

The Proteas, under the leadership of new coach Jenny van Dyk and captain Khanyisa Chawane, secured a dominant 3-0 victory against Malawi in their debut match in the Spar Challenge at Ellis Park last month.

''It was good for them, more especially that they were playing at home. We like throwing people in the deep end to start overseas, but we are happy that they got the results at home. They did well but the road is still so long,'' added Molokwane.

This year, Molokwane helped make the dream of Deaf Netball's associate members a reality by securing their inclusion in the Spar Senior National Championships. It marked the first time an associate member was granted the opportunity to compete in the tournament.