Limpopo Baobabs

Limpopo Baobabs are a South African netball team based in Polokwane. Since 2014 they have represented Limpopo in the Telkom Netball League. In 2023 they won the Division Two Shield and, after winning a play-off, they were promoted to Division One.

Limpopo Baobabs

Founded	2014
Based in	Polokwane
Regions	Limpopo
Head coach	Emily Mathosa
League	Telkom Netball League
Uniform Uniform

History

Brutal Fruit Netball Cup

In 2014, Limpopo Baobabs, together with Southern Stings, Kingdom Stars, Mpumalanga Sunbirds and Northern Cape Diamonds, became founder members of Division Two of the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup.^[1][2][3] Between 2014 and 2016, Baobabs were coached by Cecilia Molekwane.^[4][5] Molekwane subsequently became the president of Netball South Africa.^[6]

Telkom Netball League

In 2023, Limpopo Baobabs finished the season as the Division Two Shield winners. Baobabs were exceptional in the round-robin stages, winning 13 out of 15 games to qualify for the semi-final. In the final they defeated Western Cape Tornados 65–40.^[7][8][9] After defeating Kingdom Stars 55–37 in a promotion/relegation play-off, Baobabs replaced Stars in Division One.^[10][11] At the 2023 Limpopo Women in Sports Awards, Limpopo Baobab were named the Team of the Year and their head coach, Emily Mathosa, was named Coach of the Year.^[12] In 2024, Baobabs lost all their Division A matches during the round-robin stages but in a promotion/relegation play-off, they defeated Kingdom Stars 65–40 and, as a result, they secured their spot in the top division.^[13]

Finals/Playoffs

Division Two Shield

Season	Winners	Score	Runners Up	Venue
2023[7][8][9]	Limpopo Baobabs	65–40	Western Cape Tornados	Heartfelt Arena

Promotion/Relegation

Season	Winners	Score	Runners Up	Venue
2023[10][11]	Limpopo Baobabs	55–37	Kingdom Stars	Heartfelt Arena
2024[13]	Limpopo Baobabs	65–40	Kingdom Stars

Notable players

Captains

Years	Captains
2020–2023	Nthabiseng Mothutsi[14][15][16][17][18]

Coaches

Head coaches

Coach	Years
2014–2016	Cecilia Molekwane[4][5]
2017	Dumisani Chauke[19][20]
2018	Jenne-lee Delport[20]
2020	Paulinah Thobakgale[14]
2020–2021	Anna Ledwaba[15]
2022–	Emily Mathosa[9][16][18]

Assistant coaches

Coach	Years
2021	Vasta Nchefu[15]
2022	Monique Lombard[16]
2023	Tshimangadzo Munyai[18]

Honours

• Division Two Shield
  • 2023
• Telkom Netball League Promotion/Relegation Play-off
  • 2023, 2024