The South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) mourns the passing of former Springbok Women’s rugby captain Lusanda Dumke, who died on Tuesday following a battle with a rare gastric cancer.
Dumke, who played 33 times for the Women’s Springboks, captaining them three times, and who also represented the South African Women’s Sevens team, was just 29-year-old and died in her home town of East London. In 2022 she was SA Rugby’s Women’s Player of the Year.
The president of SASCOC, Barry Hendricks, said: “On behalf of all at SASCOC and the sporting community, I want to express my shock and profound sadness at Lusanda’s premature passing. She was a role model and an inspiration to all women rugby players of all ages and backgrounds. The news is devastating and we are sending our sincere condolences and support for her family and friends, and all who knew her.”
Born on 11 September 1996, Dumke made her provincial debut for the Border Ladies in 2015 as an 18-year-old. Her Test debut followed three years later, in 2018 against Wales in Cardiff.
The CEO of SASCOC, Ms Nozipho Jafta, said that Dumke’s death had left her feeling numb. “When I heard the news I couldn’t believe it. Lusanda did so much for women’s rugby and South African rugby, but she was also an inspiration to so many across the different South African sporting communities.
“Being a young woman from the Eastern Cape, she had many hurdles to overcome but did so with spirit and determination and rose to the very pinnacle of her profession. News of her death at the age of 29 is hard to comprehend.”
In 2022, Dumke was a member of the Bok Women squad at the Women’s Rugby World Cup and played in all three pool games, against France, Fiji and England. Her last Test was against Italy in 2024.
