South Africa Proteas
South Africa's netball team, the Proteas: 1967 World Cup bronze, the 1995 final, hosting Africa's first World Cup in 2023 and four Africa Netball Cup titles.
The Proteas are the South Africa national netball team, run by Netball South Africa and known by sponsorship as the SPAR Proteas. Like several of the country's other national sports teams, they take their name from the protea, South Africa's national flower.
Record at a glance
| Competition | Best result | Medals |
|---|---|---|
| Netball World Cup | Runners-up (1995) | 1 silver, 1 bronze |
| Commonwealth Games | Fourth (1998) | None |
| Africa Netball Cup | Champions | 2013, 2019, 2021, 2024 |
History
South Africa played at the first World Cup in 1963, finishing sixth, and won bronze in 1967. They then missed every World Cup from 1971 to 1991 because of the international sporting boycott during the apartheid era.
On their return in 1995, South Africa reached the final in Birmingham, losing to Australia — still their best World Cup result. They made their Commonwealth Games debut in 1998, finishing fourth.
Hosting the 2023 World Cup
In 2023 South Africa hosted the World Cup in Cape Town — the first time the tournament was held in Africa. The Proteas finished sixth, losing the fifth-place play-off to Uganda 49–47.
At continental level, South Africa have won the Africa Netball Cup four times (2013, 2019, 2021 and 2024), and were runners-up to Uganda in 2026.
Notable players
Bongiwe Msomi is South Africa's most-capped player, with more than 170 international appearances. The record-breaking shooter Irene van Dyk began her international career with South Africa before moving to New Zealand and playing for the Silver Ferns.
Where this page stops
This page is a durable reference to who the Proteas are and what they've won, not a source for current squad lists or the latest results — check Netball South Africa's official site for that.
Sources
All information on this page is given to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (October 2026), after referring to the sources below — official sources wherever they exist, and the named secondary source where we couldn't find an official record.
- World Netball: Netball World Cup results — World Cup medals, checked October 2026.
- Netball South Africa
- World Netball: Cape Town 2023
- Results and records cross-checked against South Africa national netball team on Wikipedia.
Related reading
See Uganda She Cranes and Malawi Queens for two of the Proteas' closest rivals in Africa, and England Roses, Australia Diamonds and Jamaica Sunshine Girls for other leading national teams.