Disruptor - Bongiwe Msomi

Captain of the South African Netball Team, Bongiwe "Bongi" Msomi has been incredibly succesful in her sporting career. Her impressive skills have earned her international acclaim. Here she discusses her winning approach to the game, partnership with PUMA and being a game-changer.

- By Thobeka Phanyeko. Photography by Franco Kellerman

BONGI MSOMI'S NAME B IS SYNONYMOUS WITH SHEER EXCELLENCE; one would never guess that her career started off as an unexpected windfall. As a young girl, living in Hammarsdale, KZN, sports wasn't on her radar. Considering she hadn't set foot inside a netball court until she was discovered by chance at the age of 16, her success was written in the stars. "I only started playing netball in 2004 when I was in grade 11 after I went to watch my friends training and they were a player short for a match. One of them asked the coach to let me fill in. The coach, Sithembiso Mncwabe, was one of my high school teachers and was not keen since he saw me as one of the naughty kids," she says. He however, gave her a chance to play. "I understood the rules a bit because I used to watch them train. From then on he told me to attend training sessions. I did not like the idea because I was shy and only starting to play at 16, and only starting to play at 16, so I knew I wasn't going to be good enough in terms of skill, fitness and understanding the game at the level needed since our school was really good. But back then, if teachers told you to be involved in a sport or cultural activity, you would not think of opposing them," Bongi adds. In retrospect, she says she owes her success to her coach for believing in her, "he gave me extra sessions to catch up and convinced me to keep fit and try to enjoy training because if I got that right, I would learn quickly, enjoy being coached and enjoy playing. He was right!"