Bongiwe Nsomi
She started playing the game at the age of 16 with no shoes and no training. Today she is the SPAR Proteas’ captain, participating in the 2023 Netball World Cup. Bongiwe Msomi stumbled upon netball while accompanying a friend to a training session, where she took centre position when they were a player short. One of eight children, she remembers her lucky break at the beginning of her netball journey in high school. Now, she is a wing attack position player with many accolades to her name.
In her hometown of Hammarsdale, she started the Bongi Msomi Legacy Project, an impactful organisation offering a holistic development programme that benefits everyone from the coach to the player. Apart from helping the youth, the SPAR Proteas’ captain also gives her time to upskilling coaches and umpires.
Affectionately known as Bongi by teammates and fans, she is South Africa’s most-capped netball player at 158 games. She was voted Telkom Woman of the Year 2022 and is leading the SPAR Proteas in their first World Cup on African soil, currently underway in Cape Town. She is a beacon of hope and an inspiration to every girl challenged by difficult surroundings and self-doubt.
While Bongi plays a significant role in developing netball, she gives immense credit to SPAR’s consistent support and sponsorship over the last 25 years. “SPAR has greatly assisted netball development in our country, and it is great to see the brand follow through at the Netball World Cup being played in Cape Town,” she says. Nelson Mandela once said, “Sport has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.”
At SPAR, we believe that investing in sports improves communities, producing more women like Bongi Msomi. To all the women like Bongi, and to those working hard to unearth more like her: SIYANIBONA – we see you! This is why SPAR has been involved with netball for decades. We cannot wait to see the SPAR Proteas fly high at the 2023 Netball World Cup.
Siyanibona Bongi.
We see you.
We hear you.