After only just a few months of making her senior national debut, Owethu Ngubane has now tasted the global stage of netball.
The goal shooter made her maiden appearance in the green and gold in Cape Town during the Quad Series in January against the world No 1 side, Australia. The Diamonds walked away as winners in that last round robin match, taking a 65-48 win over the South Africans.
As so fate would have it, the Cape Town International Convention Centre is also the venue where she got to play in her first Netball World Cup. Ngubane who was part of the final 15 player squad for the 2023 edition replaced an injured Lenize Potgieter in the competition. Potgieter had been spared in the first two matches of the tournament and was fielded with both knees heavily strapped in the loss to Jamaica.
Ngubane made her World Cup debut in the Proteas’ 69-28 win over Trinidad and Tobago with seven minutes left of the final quarter.
The Gauteng Golden Fireballs player says she is thrilled to have run on the court for South Africa in the World Cup.
“I feel speechless and do not know what to say right now. I am so emotional. I am feeling blessed and grateful for it. Representing South Africa in the World Cup on home soil is quite exciting. Being part of the team, being part of the people that I have looked up to, and being part of one big family is quite exciting,” says Ngubane.
She is no stranger to representing South Africa, she has served for the national Under-21 side, Baby Proteas. She was also selected to represent South Africa at the Confederation of Universities and Colleges Sports Association (CUCSA) event, in Malawi, where the team won the tournament in the colours of University Sport South Africa.
In November, she was part of the South African Fast5 team that took the silver medal at the Netball World Series in Christchurch, New Zealand. Although the 21-year-old was thrilled to make her first World Cup appearance she was heartbroken that the player she replaced, Potgieter, is one of her idols.
“I was happy when I was called even though Lenize is someone I look up to, she inspires me. It did hurt that I would be replacing her. But it was nice that the coaches gave me the opportunity to get into the 12,” she says.
Although there wasn’t match time on the clock, Ngubane says she didn’t have a hard time settling into the game. She also managed to slot one goal in when she got the opportunity in the shooting circle, achieving a 100 per cent shooting rate in the World Cup match.
“I don’t think it was hard at all, it was just (about) to go in, be focused, and play what was told to us. The game plan,” she says.
This was only her second appearance for the Spar Proteas.
Ngubane plays with her university netball under teammate and captain, Bongiwe Msomi. The two also play for the Fireballs in the Telkom Netball League together, Msomi says she is proud to see her player and teammate make her debut World Cup appearance at a young age.
“If I remember my first World Cup, I can’t tell you how the nerves were going. I can only imagine how she felt stepping out on the court. She has been really lucky that she came into an environment where we supported her, we allow her to feel as free as she can be. She just went on with so much confidence, that was really good to see. Luckily I work with her but I have to give credit to her club, Cheetahs, and credit to the likes of Liziwe Mohuli, her first coach. Sometimes we see these milestones and we forget about those people. I think they have done the work but we are really lucky to work with her. She gets to celebrate something really special and I think there are going to be a couple more World Cups and I can’t wait to see that,” says Msomi.
The Proteas captain says she hopes Ngubane will put more work for her to get more opportunities to play at high level competition.
“I am a proud gogo (grandma) and she knows it too. That is why I am quite excited about this happening, there are a few people like Jeante (Strydom) who got her first cap when she was already 27 years old. How much of the World Cups and other tournaments are going to come will depend on the work she will put in. I hope it can be of influence to make her want more,” says Msomi.