Star Proteas netball players inspire Kokstad youth for DStv Schools Netball Challenge

Star Proteas netball duo Refiloe “Fifi” Nketsa and Owethu “Sammy” Ngubane teamed up with former skipper Bongi Msomi to give kids from two Kokstad schools a fighting chance in the coming DStv Schools Netball Challenge.

The pupils from Shaya Moya Secondary and Thembalethu Secondary will represent KwaZulu-Natal at the national under-19 tournament at Hoerskool Dr EG Jansen in Johannesburg on July 26 and 27.

They were inspired by the Puma ambassadors’ stories of their rise to the top from similarly impoverished backgrounds.

They were then taken through their paces in drills and other training exercises on a bitterly cold Monday morning in the small town in the shadow of Mount Currie, southern KZN.

For Nketsa, in particular, the clinic represented a full-circle moment as she went to school at Shaya Moya after moving to Kokstad from nearby Matatiele.

“It’s such a humbling experience,” said the centre and wing defence for the national team and Free State Crinums in the Telkom Netball League.

“You can just see how their faces light up when they hear a Fifi, Bongi and Sammy being mentioned. Just to see how much they look up to us is humbling and brings you down to earth.

“It actually reminds you that you’re not doing this for yourself, you’re performing for them to believe that they are capable of getting to the very same level we’re at, and that it’s not impossible thing. That it’s okay and valid for them to dream as big or bigger than we have already because they are the ones to bring about change.

“We’re just paving the way for them to realise how great they are.”

For Msomi, who is currently assistant coach of the log-leading Fireballs in the TNL, the clinic was another chance to pay it forward.

“I always think giving back is what gave me the opportunity to play this sport because someone spent their time, money, everything to support me to be able to be the player I was and person I am. To now be the coach I am and to currently live my life based on netball, and the experiences I’ve had, I wouldn’t have that if someone didn’t give back,” she said.

“I don’t think of it as a burden, I think it’s something I need to do.”

And it’s not hard for the former player who led the Proteas in their home Netball World Cup to see a young Bongi in the faces of those who listened intently to her story, hanging on every word.

“I think part of my talk introducing myself I think I did mention that I used to use a big bowl to bath and I’m pretty sure they can relate to that,” Msomi said.

“I can remember myself as a 16-year-old kid at school and we had these tournaments here and there, being excited in terms of we’re going to go compete against this school. I can see the hype when they start talking about their competitors and them being better than this team. It starts like this.”

The well-known trio did a good job in helping hone the minds and skills of the youngsters in preparation for the five-year-old national tournament in Gauteng.

Thembalethu will feature in the Ubuntu Stream for rural and township schools for the first time. Shaya Moya will be in the Botho Stream where they will face stronger opposition. They secured a place in the top tier with strong recent showings in the Ubuntu Stream.

The neighbours earned their place in the DStv Schools Netball Challenge with strong performances in the provincial finals at Hoy Park in Durban.

No doubt they will carry the hopes of all of Kokstad with them. And who knows, maybe in years to come the next Fifi, Sammy or Bongi could be back to pass the ball on to the next generation.