South Africa Proteas
South Africa's national netball team, the Proteas: history, competitions, and their growth into one of world netball's leading nations.
The Proteas are the South Africa national netball team, taking their name — like several of the country's other national sports teams — from the protea, South Africa's national flower.
Competitions
South Africa compete in the Netball World Cup and Commonwealth Games netball tournaments, and have developed into one of the leading netball nations on the African continent and increasingly on the world stage — see history of netball for the sport's wider growth through countries with strong British colonial and educational links.
Standing in world netball
South Africa's rise in international netball in recent decades has been one of the more notable shifts in the sport's competitive landscape, reflecting sustained domestic investment and increasingly regular competition against the sport's traditionally dominant nations.
Where this page stops
This page is a durable reference to who the Proteas are and where they compete, not a source for current squad lists or the latest results — check Netball South Africa's official site for that.
Related reading
See Uganda She Cranes and Malawi Queens for two of the Proteas' closest rivals at continental level, and England Roses, Australia Diamonds and Jamaica Sunshine Girls for other long-established leading national teams in world netball.