Telkom reflects on Netball league success

By Liam Maconi
15th April 2026

Telkom Chief Marketing Officer Gugu Mthembu has highlighted key KPIs that have been achieved since partnering with Netball South Africa in 2019.

Telkom and Netball South Africa joined forces in 2019, with the former becoming the title sponsor of the domestic netball league, which was rebranded as the Telkom Netball League (TNL).

Speaking at the launch of the 2026 Telkom Netball League, Mthembu said the mandate from the beginning was to ensure that no one is left behind, highlighting the incredible growth in participation within the league.

"I think some of the simplest ones to call out is when we joined NSA in 2019; there were only 10 teams that were playing in the league. Today, we are sitting on 16. We had certain provinces not represented today; every province is represented in the league," said Mthembu

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"I think that talks to ensure that we are not leaving anyone behind, so every young girl in the country has an opportunity because now there is a team in each province that plays in the Telkom Netball League. I think those are the simplest ones."

"But also, having partnered with Netball South Africa in 2023 to bring the very first World Cup to South Africa, to African soil is another KPI that we should be proud of. Proud because that World Cup was run very well. I believe that every game was played on time."

"We had all the International teams, and I guess part of that is seeing some of the International teams coming back to play South Africa in friendlies. I think we had England a few weeks ago playing at Ellis Park, so those are some of the KPI's we look at, because for us, like I said, it's always been about development of the sport, ensuring women's sport is visible, funded and that we actually give fans something to look forward to."

Mthembu says the investment in the Telkom Netball League was never intended to be a once-off sponsorship. Since partnering with the federation, Telkom has focused on addressing key gaps while also boosting visibility and fan engagement. She added that while progress has been made in increasing exposure and opportunities, some gaps that remain and more work is needed.