POLOKWANE – At first, 15-year-old Olubanzi Mlangeni didn’t think she made it to the top 35 players selected for the Limpopo netball trials.

She even asked her mom to go home, convinced she hadn’t made the cut. But when she heard her name announced over the speakers, she was ecstatic.

Olubanzi, a Gr 10 learner at Technical High School Tom Naudé, plays for the u/16 team. She began her school and netball career at Laerskool Ivypark, where she played on the first team.

“At Tom Naudé, I play goal attack, and the best part is that I know my teammates. We are all friends. The only challenge we face as a team is that we are all quite short, but that doesn’t hold us back.”

This year marks the second time Olubanzi made the Limpopo team, selected as a wing attack or goal attack. During the tournament in Boksburg, she had to play centre.

“I didn’t expect to make the top 35 because I felt I didn’t have enough playtime and didn’t play my best. After the top 35 were chosen, we went to trials where about 16 players were selected for the national team. This time, I played to my full potential, and the competition was tough. The other girls are very good.”

Having played in the Limpopo team last year, Olubanzi was familiar with many of her teammates and felt welcomed. However, playing center was challenging.

“I’m not centre-fit anymore, and the game was tiring. In the national team, we’ll have longer playtime than we did in the Limpopo team.”

Olubanzi hopes to represent South Africa on the netball court and travel internationally.

Meeting new people is also part of her plans. Although she is unsure of her career path after school, she knows she wants to continue playing netball.

Her role models in the sport are Kamo Maseko, who plays in the Spar Proteas Squad, and Refiloe Nketsa, the Free State Crinums centre.