New Proteas netball captain Chawane excited about her 'new challenge'

JOHANNESBURG - Khanyisa Chawane is the new captain of the Proteas netball team.

She has been tasked with leading the side until the 2027 World Cup in Australia and will have the experienced Karla Pretorius as her deputy. Chawane takes over the role from South Africa’s most-capped international player, Bongi Msomi, who retired at the end of 2023.

KC, as she’s affectionately known, is an exceptional player who can cover all three mid-court positions and has been a vital member of the Proteas since her debut in 2018. 

"I am truly humbled and honoured to be appointed captain of the Spar Proteas. It's a privilege to lead such a talented and dedicated group of players. I'm excited to take on this new challenge and work with the coaches and teammates to achieve our goals. I'm committed to leading by example, with passion, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. I'm looking forward to this new chapter and making South Africa proud," said Chawane.

Her elevation to the captaincy is somewhat of a surprise as she’s never held that title in her senior career before despite being an integral part of successful teams in the Varsity Netball and Telkom Netball League competitions. She said the disappointment of being overlooked in the past has helped to make her stronger for her role.

"I’ve served the University of the Free State and the Free State Crinums and in all of those instances, I never captained those teams. To everybody’s eyes, it looked like it would be an obvious thing and I speak about those things because those are the challenges that have prepared me for this moment," Chawane said.

The Proteas have been out of action since their tour of the United Kingdom in December where they lost their three-match series against England 2-1. 

Chawane’s first assignment in charge of the team will likely be the SPAR Challenge which has been unofficially scheduled to be held at the Ellis Park Arena in October.