Jamaica will host South Africa’s national women’s netball team, the Proteas, in a three-match test series in Kingston starting Saturday.

This is another opportunity for the Proteas to sharpen their skills, build momentum, and gain more international experience.

Next up on their radar is next month’s Netball Nations Cup, the 2026 Commonwealth Games and then the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

The South African National Women’s Netball team finished 2024 on a high, as the number one ranked team in Africa, while Jamaica recently moved into third spot, behind Australia and New Zealand, on the world rankings, after beating England in a Test series.

The Proteas therefore regard this series in the Caribbean as an important test. Tick the boxes against Sunshine Girls and the future will take care of itself.

“First of all, going to the commonwealth games and obviously going to the world cup, so all of these are very important because these are the teams that eventually you might not play in the pool matches but when it comes to the quarter finals and semifinals that are teams you will play against so it’s very important to us. We are not using this to prepare, this is very important, we will put all our focus in this match and our focus here, it’s important for us to play, it is such an important opportunity for us to play against Jamaica in a three day series but to relegate around the series and to spend all your focus there,” says Jenny Van Dyk, Proteas coach.

This tour is a first for coach Van Dyk and captain Khanyisa Chawane who were appointed towards the end of last year, and Chawane who has been playing competitive netball for most of her life, says they have settled in well, to take on the Jamaicans.

“The mood in camp is very exciting, everyone just wants to get in court for the first time this year and really do well. So, the training is going well and everyone is connecting well. So, it is just exciting to just get in court first time in court and do well,” says Khanyisa Chawane, Captain.

The Proteas and Jamaica have played each other 18 times, with the Proteas winning three times, most notably in the Netball World Cup in Liverpool in 2019, where the South Africans won by 55 goals to 52, earning them a spot in the semifinals.

And they’ll be looking to repeat that feat when the series starts at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston on Saturday.