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.

Who are your role model(s) in the sport? Have you ever met him/her?
My role model is former Netball SA president Ntambi Ravele and yes I have met her.

What is your most memorable personal sporting moment?
When I made the SA Under-16 Netball team back in 2002 and played for South Africa for the first time in Mozambique and we won gold.

What is your most memorable other sporting moment that doesn’t involve you?
When Desiree Ellis won the CAF Coach of the Year award in 2019.

In terms of your travels, what has been your favourite city and why?
I enjoy travelling to African countries, and my favourite so far is Mozambique.

Where in South Africa do you live?
Johannesburg, Gauteng

What is your favourite app on your phone?
Facebook

What is your favourite TV show?
Chopped on food network.

What else do you do outside of sports coaching, ie, what’s your “day job”?
I am a sport organiser for Netball and Basketball at the Tshwane University of Technology

Is there anything that you’ve done in lockdown that you will continue doing permanently from now on?
I have enjoyed being home with my kids and cooking a lot of meals together, that is something I would like to keep even though malls and restaurants are open now. During lockdown I used my Twitter account for daily “Coaching From Home” posts for netballers to stay active during lockdown.

Finish the sentence. My sport is the best because…
It is fun, exciting and is a tool to empower girls and women.

OFF THE COURTS
In 2018, she launched the Dumisani Chauke Netball Foundation as an effort to give back to young girls who come after her. At the heart of the Foundation is the spirit of “paying it forward” by creating opportunities for Netball loving young girls to excel in what they are passionate about and be successful in their careers.

Since its launch, the Foundation has positively changed many lives. This year, the Foundation responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for patriotic individuals and businesses to lend a hand to households, especially from townships and informal settlements which are deeply affected by hunger and poverty amidst the spread of Covid-19 and the national lockdown. During the lockdown period the Dumisani Chauke Netball Foundation embarked in the programme to distribute food and hygiene parcels to various communities in South Africa.

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