December is meant to be gentle in South Africa. It’s a month of homecomings, shared meals, loud laughter and full churches. That’s what made the news of Lusanda Dumke’s passing feel especially cruel.
In the early hours of Tuesday, 16 December, the country woke up to heartbreak. The Blue Bulls Company confirmed that Dumke had died in East London after a courageous battle with a rare and aggressive form of gastric cancer. She was just 29.
A Fighter Until the Very End
Dumke stepped away from rugby in August 2025 to focus fully on her health. At the time, many fans hoped it was a temporary pause. Few realised how serious the diagnosis was.
Gastric cancer, also known as stomach cancer, is notoriously difficult to detect early. Symptoms are often vague — fatigue, stomach pain, weight loss — and by the time it’s diagnosed, treatment options are limited. In South Africa, it’s not among the most common cancers, but it remains deadly. Over a lifetime, roughly one in 493 South Africans will be affected.
Dumke fought quietly and with dignity, much like she played the game.
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From East London to the Green and Gold
Born on 11 September 1996 in East London, Lusanda Dumke’s rise in rugby was swift and unmistakable. She made her provincial debut for the Border Ladies at just 18 in 2015, announcing herself as a player with grit, vision and calm leadership.
Her Springbok Women’s debut came in 2018 against Wales in Cardiff. From there, she became a permanent fixture in the squad — reliable, versatile and fearless.
In 2021, she captained South Africa for the first time against Kenya in Stellenbosch. It wouldn’t be the last time she wore the armband. She went on to lead the team again, including in a historic clash against Australia in 2024.
She represented South Africa at the 2022 Women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, facing the world’s best against France, Fiji and England. Her final Test appearance came in Cape Town at WXV 2 in 2024 against Italy.
By then, her numbers told only part of the story: 33 Test caps, 10 tries, three matches as captain. The rest lived in the way younger players watched her.
More Than Just Fifteens
Dumke’s influence stretched beyond the traditional game. She also shone in sevens rugby, representing South Africa in Cape Town in 2019 and again in Tunisia at the 2022 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup, where the team defended their continental title.
At provincial level, she captained both Border and the Isuzu Bulls Daisies, leaving behind a legacy of leadership that will shape women’s rugby for years to come.
A Nation in Mourning
Tributes flooded social media within minutes of the announcement.
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander described Dumke as “a symbol of courage, leadership and resilience far beyond her years”, praising her humility and strength, especially during illness.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi shared a simple but devastating post:
“Lusanda Dumke 1997–2025 🕊️”
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The accompanying video showed the Springbok Women singing an igwijo — a traditional chant rooted in unity and strength. The song, Uzovuma Kamnandi (“Sing sweetly”), once joyful, now sounded like a farewell sung through tears.
@yonela_ngxingolo 😔 . #fyp #lusandadumke #rip ♬ original sound – 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒚𝒊𝒏⋆
Teammate Yonela Ngxikolo posted a montage on TikTok — bus rides, changing rooms, shared laughter — set to the haunting line: “Charlie, will I ever see you again?” A question that felt painfully real.
The Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture also paid tribute, with Minister Gayton McKenzie saying Dumke carried “the hopes of her teammates and the pride of the nation” every time she played.
In the comments, everyday South Africans echoed the same disbelief:
“She was just a baby.”
“Rest easy, warrior.”
“Strength to her family.”
Her Legacy Lives On
Statistics fall short in moments like this. Lusanda Dumke mattered because she showed young girls, especially Black girls, that they belong in rugby, that leadership has many faces, and that strength can be quiet.
She leaves too soon, in a season meant for joy. But every time the Springbok Women run out in green and gold, a piece of her spirit will be there, steady, fearless, unbreakable.
Akuhlanga lungehlanga. She did not fall, she rose.
Source: IOL
Featured Image: X{@WomenBoks}
