Johannesburg reaffirmed its dominance in SA netball after edging Cape Town 52-51 in the SPAR National Netball Championships final on December 6.

The city secured its fourth consecutive national title at Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen, Boksburg.
Just as in 2024, a single goal proved decisive. But for coach and former SPAR Proteas captain Elsjé Jordaan, this victory carried extra weight after a shaky start to the week, which included an opening-day loss to Cape Town and a draw against Mangaung.

“I actually have no words. I’m so proud. The growth over the week is amazing. There was so much pressure on us, with all the Johannesburg Netball Associations (JNA) teams performing so well, we couldn’t let them down.”

A final of momentum swings
Johannesburg came out firing, using their trademark speed to race to a 16-10 lead after the first quarter. But Cape Town masterfully slowed the tempo in the second, stringing together five unanswered goals and snatching a one-goal lead by halftime.

Joburg regrouped in the third and early fourth quarters, rebuilding a five-goal advantage. But with the clock winding down, costly errors opened the door for Cape Town, who equalised with under a minute remaining.

With the centre pass still theirs, Johannesburg kept their composure, worked the ball patiently into the circle, and buried the final goal, leaving Cape Town with no time to respond. The buzzer triggered scenes of jubilation, and the Joburg bench erupted into singing and dancing on court.

“We just needed to play our own netball”
Captain Tinita van Dyk was proud of how her team had fought their way back from a difficult start to the tournament.

“Our tournament started badly. It forced us to go back to the drawing board.
“Today was a massive fight. The strong start gave us confidence, and we just had to play our own netball until the end,” said Van Dyk.

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Cape Town and SPAR Proteas sharpshooter Nicholé Breedt said her side, unbeaten all week until the final, were undone by small errors.
“The team that was going to win was the one making the fewest mistakes, and, unfortunately, it was us today. But we’ve grown a lot and are not done. There’s much more to come from this group,” said Breedt.

In the other senior playoff, Mangaung edged Dr Kenneth Kaunda 54-53 to secure third place in yet another closely contested encounter.

Johannesburg U21s claim back-to-back titles
The dominance continued in the U21 A division, where defending champions Johannesburg swept aside Dr Kenneth Kaunda 44-33 to retain the title.

Coached by former national captain Bongi Msomi, the young Joburg side stormed to a 12-5 lead after the first quarter and never looked back. They led 26-13 at halftime and comfortably controlled the remainder of the match.
“To be underdogs one year and a threat the next feels really good. We’re doing really well as a district, but the challenge is to maintain this. It takes so much work behind the scenes.”

A championship that fuels SA netball’s future
Closing the week-long tournament, newly elected Netball South Africa president Mami Diale praised the championships as a vital pillar of talent development.

“It brings together players from every province, strengthens pathways into high-performance systems and, ultimately, the national team,” Diale said.
She also thanked headline sponsor SPAR, along with Telkom and other partners, for their continued investment in women’s sport.

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