By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Netball South Africa (NSA) confirmed the untimely passing of national and international umpire Leonard Masao, who sadly departed on the 17th of October 2026.
At the time of his passing, Leonard was a highly respected international umpire and served as a mentor to up and coming netball umpires in South Africa.
He has dedicated his time in serving the game netball not only in South Africa but the continent and world at large.
“Losing someone of Leonard’s character and caliber is very sad and hard to comprehend. As a federation, we are deeply saddened to learn about the untimely passing of Leonard. He was a true ambassador and custodian of the sport, not only here at home – he was well respected and loved globally by those that followed the sport. As Netball South Africa, we would like to convey our most sincere condolences to the Masao family at large – the entire netball fraternity is with you at such a difficult time, and we share this loss with you. Thank you for sharing Leonard with us. We will forever celebrate his legacy and contribution he made in netball. We can never fully articulate the loss and pain we are all feeling at this moment,” said Mami Diale, Netball South Africa President.
Diale urged the netball community to offer the family much needed support and space required as they prepare to lay their beloved to rest.
She added that the NSA will continue to update the netball fraternity with any additional information regarding the memorial and funeral arrangements as and when they becomes available.