Star returns home to share her expertise with young players
As a former team-focused member of the North West University Potchefstroom's Campus, NWU Pukke, North West Flames and Dr Kenneth Kaunda, netball superstar Lentsa Motau, returned to her hometown to assist with coaching at Hoërskool Nelspruit.
Lenny, as most of her friends know her, was born in the Lowveld where she matriculated at NHS.
“I have been playing netball for 13 years now.”
Netball was not her only talent, but this 1,78-metre long leg also did athletics. “I touched a bit of everything – from high jump, long jump and even triple jump. I have broken quite a few records, and at Interhigh I always won gold in my items.” It was only in grade six that she started specialising in netball on goal defence and goalkeeper as she was quite tall for her age. At the start of her grade 10 year they moved to Limpopo for a year, but moved back to Mbombela again. She has been playing first-team netball since grade 11 and represented Mpumalanga from u/12 to u/18.
After she matriculated, she went to study BCom marketing at Pukke where Dorette Badenhorst, one of the most gifted coaches in the book only recently started as head coach at Pukke. “She was the former u/21 Protea coach, and we have spoken before. When I heard she was at the helm of netball at Pukke, I had to go there. She is brilliant and taught me everything about netball.”
Motau in her first year, started playing for Pukke u/19 and after only a month she was selected for the u/21s and played in the Varsity Cup for Puk 1. “In Varsity they moved me to wing defence as I was apparently too short to play goal defence and goalkeeper. I played u/21 for North West as well as for the province’s senior team and I was only 19 at the time. During my second year again I turned out for Puk 1, u/21s, seniors, Varsity Cup and for University Sport South Africa (USSA).”
That year a 12-member South African Varsity Cup team was chosen to play in a tournament in Zambia.
The 22-year-old was also selected for the SA Varsity World Cup squad, but had to withdraw.
In her final year at varsity Puk 1 won the Varsity Cup against the University of Stellenbosch, Maties in the latter’s home town. “The top-12 players were announced after the tournament, and I was quite surprised that I was one of them.”
When asked why she didn’t pursue her netball career, she gave a deep sigh and said, “You get to a point where you realise that netball is not a paying sport. “I am planning to change things this year at NHS. If you are not mentally tough, you won’t make it. There is always someone working twice as hard as you are. Your position in any team is never guaranteed. I want my presence to be visible.”
