Dumisani Chauke, assistant coach for the South African netball team, has been announced as the latest Laureus Sport for Good Foundation ambassador. Chauke joins a prestigious group of South Africans including Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis and star Amanda Dlamini, Olympic gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk and Springboks Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger and Bryan Habana.
Born in Limpopo, the SASCA member Chauke played basketball and soccer before getting involved in netball around the age of 10. She completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Management at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and went on to play for the Proteas for several years.
She retired from international netball in 2014 to focus on her coaching at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), where she was a player-coach before being made head coach. In 2016, she was appointed assistant coach for the baby Proteas and is currently the SPAR Proteas assistant coach.
Chauke has made a tremendous impact both on and off the court. She launched her Netball Foundation at Mangangeni Primary School in Malamulele. The foundation aims to empower young girls through netball coaching, life skills training, as well as various community-based programs. She decided to give back to her community by establishing the foundation at her alma mater, where she nurtured her talent. The foundation has been a great success, reaching more than 500 girls across Limpopo and Gauteng province.
‘I am thrilled and humbled by this amazing gesture. This is a remarkable opportunity and I understand the power of sport and the immense impact it has on uplifting our communities. It is an honour to be part of this amazing organisation, that continues to do incredible work using sport as a tool for change to help those in need,’ said Chauke.
Laureus Ambassadors are a select group of both current and retired sportsmen and women who have achieved sporting greatness or made significant contributions to the sporting community during their careers. They are recognised as role models and icons of success and volunteer their services to support the work of Laureus Sport for Good.
