The Western Cape Government congratulates rugby referee Zoe Naude on being the first South African (SA) female referee to be chosen to officiate at the Tag Rugby World Cup which will be held in Ireland in August this year.

Zoe, who hails from Cape Town, represented the Western Cape as a player in the touch rugby and contact formats, and also earned SA colours in the contact format as an u/20 player. She has risen through the ranks as a referee and is someone who gives back to the development of women’s rugby in the province. Her selection for this World Cup is a result of many years of dedication to developing her skills and expertise in the sport.  

Minister Anroux Marais said: “We are incredibly proud of Zoe’s achievement of being appointed to referee at this international event. We are excited to see how fast women’s sport is growing in our country and this is just another step in the right direction. Thank you to Zoe for helping us put women’s sport on the map, in the Western Cape, but also across the country.”

This year has seen various major women’s sporting events being hosted in the province, including the Netball quad series, the T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup and the Women’s International Ice Hockey Championship. We are looking forward to July, when the Netball World Cup 2023 will be hosted in Cape Town – this is the first time in history that this tournament will be hosted in Africa.

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport remains committed to supporting women’s sport in our province, and we are proud of how our ladies are charting new paths and opening doorways for younger female athletes.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic Of South Africa: Western Cape Provincial Government.