Netball challenge brings the action
The tournament served up a feast of fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat netball action.
Nomzamo Secondary School and Hoërskool Menlopark have been crowned the 2025 champions of the DStv Schools Netball Challenge (DSNC), powered by Bestmed Medical Scheme.
This year’s national finals were hosted at Hoërskool Dr EG Jansen in Boksburg on July 25 and 26, attracting around 50 schools from across the country for a thrilling two-day showcase of school-level netball.
Launched in 2021, the DSNC is a partnership between MultiChoice and SA Schools Netball (SASN), offering equal opportunities for athletes from both rural and urban schools to compete at the highest level.
The tournament is divided into two competitive streams, Ubuntu and Botho, and has become a key scouting ground for national coaches and selectors looking for emerging talent.
In the Ubuntu stream, Nomzamo Secondary School from Strand clinched their first-ever title with a confident 25–17 win over three-time finalists Lambalati Secondary School.
Nomzamo was also among 10 schools that benefitted from special coaching clinics led by some of the country’s top netball players, in partnership with Puma.
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In the Botho stream, Hoërskool Menlopark edged past Paarl Gimnasium in a tense, down-to-the-wire 22–21 victory, sealing the title in the final seconds of a fiercely contested match.
Kgaphamadi Secondary School (North West) and La Rochelle Girls’ High School (Western Cape) walked away with bronze medals in the Ubuntu and Botho streams, respectively.
Reflecting on the tournament’s continued growth, Sandile Luthuli, MultiChoice CSI Manager for Sports Programmes, said: “We are exceedingly happy with the outcome of the tournament. It continues to grow from strength to strength and has firmly secured its place in South African netball.
“This is our fifth year running the DSNC, and it’s proudly positioned as the bridge between school and varsity-level netball. A lot of the girls who participated this weekend are in matric and played their hearts out.
“For example, Nomzamo comes from a very under-resourced school, yet they rose to the occasion.
“We’re extremely proud of every player, every school, and all our partners who make this possible. Tournaments like these are vital to ensuring that netball in South Africa remains sustainable.”
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