Karla Pretorius will forever be remembered as one of the most iconic netball players to ever come out of South Africa.
The former Spar Proteas defender produced some of the most memorable intercepts and gains in the green and gold. Some of her monumental performances saw her walk away with the Player of the Tournament at the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup held in Liverpool, England.
Pretorius recently hung up her dress and retired from all forms of playing the sport after featuring in the green and gold having earned 125 caps. The second-highest number of appearances for the senior national team, former captain Bongiwe Msomi holds the most number of caps having featured 171 times. Phumza Maweni is third with 121 caps.
Pretorius got her first senior national team call-up in 2011 ahead of the World Netball Series held in England. She had taken part in three Netball World Cup tournaments, from the 2015 edition to the 2023 edition held in Cape Town.
She had also played in three Commonwealth Games, her last being the 2026 edition held in Glasgow. After coming back from a year-long hiatus, Pretorius had set her sights on the 2027 World Cup in Sydney as her last tournament.
The former Sunshine Coast Lightning star says deciding to leave the game she has played most of her life wasn’t an easy one, however, she knew that it was time to says goodbye.
“The plan was always to return for the 2027 World Cup, but in 2026 I was working two jobs and training twice a day. A part of it was that it was logistically not sustainable to do all those jobs.
"I was getting home at 8pm and waking up at 4am, it was doable for a few months but after the Commonwealth Games I realised that it is not sustainable. That played a big part for me deciding to retire but I also felt like it was time,” explained Pretorius.
Her journey in netball began at little league alongside her sister, Tanya van Berg (née Mostert), she went on to play in university where she played for five years and won back to back Varsity Netball titles (2013 and 2014) with the University of the Free State (Kovsies).
The defender moved to the United Kingdom to play in the Netball Super League (NSL) in 2016 for Team Bath. Her impressive performances in the NSL drew Lightning’s eyes and she was drafted as one of the players of the new team.
She went on to spend seven seasons Down Under where she won two titles with Lightning before returning home to play for the Free State Crinums in the 2024 season.
The former Crinums goal defender took an unexpected break from the sport in 2025 to focus on growing her family. However, things didn’t go as she and her husband, Werner Pretorius, had hoped. She came back and was part of the team that won the fifth Telkom Netball League title.
Pretorius admits that the landscape of netball has changed over the years, however, she hopes to see the sport provide support structures that will allow for players who wish to start families while still active.
“I think we are getting better slowly but not quick enough. It is getting more competitive and a bit more professional but not in the financial side of things. We have played in a lot of international test series and get the opportunities to play against top countries.
"Having Kara, my baby girl, and being able to return to court, I would like to see us supporting people that want to go that route. I don’t think there’s a policy that is in place for whoever wants to do it next to be supported.
"I think a bit of that conversation has been touched because I was in that position but there is still a lot that needs to be done to support women in sport,” she explained.
Pretorius has already begun her next chapter in netball. She has been appointed the head coach of Kovsies Netball, taking over from veteran coach, Burta de Kock, who is retiring at the end of the year. She has also been serving as the director of netball at Höerskool Fichardtpark while working for Enovis South Africa as a sales consultant.
She says she will work on creating an environment that will help her players to be better student-athletes.
“Tannie Burta played a massive role in the success of Kovsies netball but more so the people that she built throughout her career, it’s remarkable. So it’s not really about reinventing the wheel, it is about bringing in what I’ve experienced in the different environments, internationally and nationally. 4
"See how we can fit it into the structure that is already there. It is about focusing on Kovsies netball, what environment can it create for players to grow and reach their full potential,” she said.