Precious Mokomele has an infectious laugh. It drifts in and out like a tide. Sometimes it is a gentle cascade, sometimes it is uproarious, emanating from some joyous part within herself where she keeps all the treasures of her happiness.

“I laugh a lot,” she confesses, unsurprisingly with a laugh. “My friends tell me I laugh too easily.”

What is surprising though, is that her past did all it could to muzzle and mute one of her outstanding features.

Precious was born and raised in Brits. but when she was one year and 11 months old, her mother passed away. “It was from a head injury, but my family don’t want to tell me the details. I don’t know why.”

When she was six, Precious and her sister were moved to Abraham Kriel Children’s Home in Potchefstroom, as her father was deemed not fit to raise the siblings. “It was a whole adjustment and quite hard, because I could not understand why I could not be with my family. But I was exposed to so many good things. It was difficult and also fun. I was surrounded by my peers and we understood what each of us was going through.”

As a young girl the now 20-year-old – who is studying for a Diploma in Coaching Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) – started playing netball, and it was on the court where she found an outlet for her burgeoning talent. “I was a shooter, which meant I made my team win,” she explains with gusto.

“I felt like, yeah, I am doing something! My mom used to play netball. It makes me somewhat emotional to talk about it. It is a connection we share although she is not here anymore.”

She says her teachability and her willingness to listen and to ask questions are her greatest strengths as a player. Couple this with a drive to succeed and you have a winning formula: “At every single practice I always give my best, because I say: ‘Precious, you never know who is watching’.”

Her approach has paid dividends. Precious has moved through the ranks from developmental player to High Performance club player at the NWU, while also earning her provincial colours.

She is full of admiration for the impact her coaches have had on her career and she hopes to emulate them in the future.

“I would also like to be a coach one day and to make an impact on my players’ lives.”

That she will undoubtedly do. That, and so much more … with a laugh.

Precious Mokomele