Msomi: From player to leader to change maker

There are many things that you can’t buy in life. You can’t walk into a chemist and order a bottle of passion. You can’t go into a gym or onto a sports field and say: “can you equip me with talent?”. Then there’s life experience, also beyond the reach of money.

Throw in determination to make people’s lives better and increase awareness and appreciation of skill sets, and you have a priceless asset.

With that in mind, meet Bongi Msomi, best known for being the face of South African netball over many years but truly a woman for all seasons.

The 38-year-old has been thrust into a leadership position for Team SA at the 2026 Commonwealth Games as chef de mission (delegation head) and she’s grabbed it and adjusted to it with the same energy and willingness that defined her career as a player.

She is the latest figurehead from the pathway created for athletes by the South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) to evolve into leaders.

And what she has seen in her all-encompassing role as Team SA’s chef de mission at these Games has been eye-opening, even sparking constant lightbulbs moments.

There’s a raw honesty, passion and conviction to Msomi whose own rise from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of a playing career has been well documented. She’s continuing to grow and learn and while she says she’s essentially a netball coach at heart, with aspirations of one day working her way through the structures to the national job, she’s getting an intimate view of what goes into the delivery of Team SA to a multi-code event.

“One of the key takeaways so far is that South Africa has for too long been a ‘Big 3’ sporting nation. Rugby, cricket and soccer gets the attention, it gets the sponsorships, it gets the media backing,” she astutely observes.

“Rugby has shown the way how sport unites. They’ve done a brilliant job to bring South Africa together but we’re a big sporting country. We are more than the ‘Big 3’.

“How many people would recognise Akani Simbine in a shopping mall in any of the big cities? He’s probably recognised more in some countries in Europe and the USA than he is in South Africa. The Commonwealth Games experience has opened my eyes to the so-called ‘minor sports’.

“I’ve had to educate myself to the rules that apply to codes like weightlifting, wheelchair basketball and gymnastics and seeing the athletes wearing the green and gold has been immensely uplifting. Our swimmers had won our first 11 medals of the Games for Team SA and each of them have put their hearts and souls, and finances, into getting to the position to not only represent South Africa but win for South Africa.”

SASCOC needs to be applauded for their forward-thinking in promoting former athletes – 2012 London Olympics rowing gold medallist Sizwe Ndlovu and Winter Olympian Alex Heath are two other examples – into chef de mission (delegation leader) roles.

Msomi has seen first-hand the work done behind the scenes that is the glue holding Team SA together. It’s something that perhaps wasn’t educated to the athletes in years gone by and she competed in three previous Commonwealth Games as a player.

“I attend regular chef de mission meetings and the day quickly turns into night. There are so many cogs in the wheel. Someone has to make sure all athletes have warm beds and hot water and meals. Someone needs to deal with hotel management relating to aircons. Someone has to ensure that there’s transport to and from venues. There is the scheduling, the interaction with athletes, the coordination of programmes, the correct accreditation, the flights to and from the Games.

“And then there the athletes themselves. Make no mistake, I Iove what rugby is doing but South Africa is a country that should be exposed to more sports and their unifying capabilities. The achievements and good publicity that other sports bring to the nation can only be good for everyone involved.

“I don’t think it’s a lack of appreciation of athletes but more a lack of education. When one looks at the results and they say, ‘oh, this one didn’t make the final or win a medal’, they don’t have the all round knowledge of that athlete, what they had to overcome just to earn selection. And for a sport like weightlifting, one wrong move and they could break their back.”

At the epicentre of delivering excellence to a major event like the Commonwealth Games, Olympics or Paralympics, is funding and sponsorship. “There is a deep appreciation of the Team SA sponsors to these Games. When the Mr Price Sport bag and kit is delivered, it does wonders for the athlete on the receiving end. It’s important for an athlete to look the part and Mr Price Sport have been superb. The same goes for Bidvest, whose support extended to them covering all the medical supplies required to assist the athletes. Then there’s the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Lotteries Commission and Planet Fitness.

“But funding remains an issue and it’s vital for more corporates to get involved. These athletes are performing in elite international competitions and those who win medals are doing so much as ambassadors for the country. We really do need to get beyond the rugby, cricket, soccer mindset. And even within those three, we saw the difference between the attention given to Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana, who are currently in Wafcon.

“Our athletes are truly incredible and it’s a key takeaway from my first experience as chef de mission. I’m seeing things from a different perspective and it’s making me want to spread the message.”

There’s a flood of information, insight and a refreshing direct approach to how Msomi, who also finds time away from her day job at the University of Johannesburg to study for her Honours in Sports Management. Now that she’s got the taste of life on the inside in a leadership role, one knows that she’s going to be vocal in spreading the message far and wide. And that has to be applauded.

And, as always, the message will be delivered with passion and honesty, which is something that money can’t buy.