The 2026 DStv Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC), powered by Bestmed Medical Scheme, coaching clinics got off to a flying start.
The first leg of the clinics was held at the state-of-the-art multi-court at the Hlabi Secondary School, the double DSNC champions, and it was led by former Spar Proteas Phumza Maweni and Bongiwe Msomi.
In the first instalment of the clinics, two schools, Makgofe High School and Sebakanaga Secondary School, that will represent Limpopo at this year’s Netball Challenge national finals set for 23 to 25 July at the Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in Boksburg being taken through their paces.
KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and the Northern Cape are the other provinces that will conduct these clinics.
The competition is divided into two streams, Botho and Ubuntu, for schools in both rural and urban areas, for an equal opportunity to showcase their talent on a national stage.
The clinics are the DSNC’s effort to help prepare schools from the Ubuntu stream for the nationals.
The Limpopo Ubuntu representatives not only learnt skills that they can apply only on the court but they also got to know more about their idols.
Former Proteas goalkeeper Maweni says the clinic gave her a chance to give back to people who were exactly like her.
The former Loughborough Lightning player shared her journey in the sport. She relayed to the players that although she started her journey ‘late’ she was able to live her dreams.
“It reminds me of where I come from. I am here to show them that anything is possible and to share my story. I think we all come from similar backgrounds but they have to know that they can move past this situation. I did note in the first session that some of the players have a low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. It is a problem but I understand because I used be like them too,” says Maweni.
TALENT AND POTENTIAL
The Baby Proteas assistant coach says she hopes the players will be able to grasp everything that was shared with them and will be able to use it at the national finals and in the future as well.
“There’s a lot of talent and potential here. I think netball and this DSNC program will help them gain confidence before they reach a high performance level setup. These clinics are really important for these youngsters, they don’t only learn skills through drills, but leadership capabilities and how to work as a team. Our focus was on the basics of netball, how to handle the ball, the landing foot and how to control the body. I hope they will be able to implement what they learnt here when they reach the national finals,” adds Maweni.
Sebakanaga goalkeeper Angel Mashiloane says she never thought she would be able to meet players that she had always seen on television representing the country.
“It was a very great experience because they got to teach us more than what we did. It was a really nice experience because not everyone can get this opportunity but we are grateful that our hard work gave us the opportunity to be coached by our former captain and our lovely goalkeeper. The experience will push us to want to be better because we would also like to get where they are or even beyond,” says Mashiloane.
Makgofe player Lebogang Mashiane says she hopes the lessons from the clinic will help them do well at the nationals and hopefully win the title.
“It was a good experience and we learnt that netball can be a career and should be taken seriously. The prize for the eventual winners motivates us to do well at the nationals and maybe repeat our provincial exploits and win too,” says Mashiane.