Rachel Kolisi: I’m so proud
Bok skipper Siya Kolisi’s wife Rachel opens up about hearing the big news, family life – and why it can be tough being married to a sporting hero
WALK into this home in Cape Town and you’d never guess four busy kids live here. No abandoned clothes or broken toys in sight. No forgotten schoolbooks on the table. No grubby handprints on the walls. If the new Springbok captain can manage his team anything like his wife runs their home, it bodes well for the national side.
While Siya Kolisi tries to steer the Boks toward renewed rugby glory under the guidance of new coach Rassie Erasmus, it’s Rachel Kolisi who’s responsible for this calm, pristine and happy home.
There’s an air of excitement in the Kolisi home in the southern suburbs of Cape Town – our visit comes days after Siya was named Springbok captain.
Siya is in Johannesburg preparing for the Test against England on 9 June, so Rachel, clearly bursting with pride for her husband, welcomes us in their home.
The 28-year-old tells us she was on the way to the doctor with their baby daughter, Keziah, when Siya (26) called with the news. It was 27 May – a day before the rest of South Africa would hear about his new role.
“He phoned me while I was in the car. He just said he’s captain – then I hung up,” Rachel says with a laugh. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
She called him back later. “I said, ‘Siya, Siya, Siya . . .’ I said ‘Siya’ maybe seven times! I didn’t even get to speak to him for long because he had a meeting.”
The couple haven’t even seen each other face to face since the big news.
“I was so happy for him, so proud of him. He’s been through so much,” Rachel tells us.
The kids are thrilled, she adds. She and Siya have two children of their own, Nic (3) and Keziah (sex months). They’re also raising Siya’s half-brother and half-sister, Liyema (16) and Liphelo (10).
Liyema is a boarder at Grey High School in Port Elizabeth, in the Eastern Cape, where Siya matriculated and developed his rugby skills.
Siya didn’t expect Rassie to announce him as captain, Rachel says. The moment felt unreal to him – he’d faced many challenges in his life, including a life of poverty as a child when he lived with his grandmother, Nolulamile Kolisi, in Port Elizabeth.
RACHEL has no doubt he’ll shine as captain. “He’s always been a leader – he’s patient, he’s understanding. He’s very slow to anger and to hold grudges.
“He’s a pretty impeccable human being and he’s a pretty great husband.”
Rachel’s phone has been ringing off the hook since the captaincy was announced. “I answer every single message,” she says, but adds she hasn’t been able to get to all of them yet.
At the time of our visit, she and the kids are preparing to fly to Joburg for Siya’s first match as skipper. It’s a week before Siya and the Boks face the English Roses at Emirates Park ( formerly Ellis Park), and Rachel and the kids will be with Siya’s dad, Fezakele, and her dad, Clive Smith.
She usually watches the match from the comfort of a box but the two proud dads wanted to experience the atmosphere in the stands with the crowd this time.
Before every match she and Siya pray together, Rachel says – it gives her peace of mind that he won’t get hurt during the game.
THE house is quiet – a helper has taken Keziah for a stroll and Nic and Liphelo are at school. Rachel makes us coffee in her sparkling kitchen. She might have to get used to being in the limelight. Earlier in the week she was flown to Joburg for an interview with SuperSport, and the question on everyone’s lips was, “What’s it like being the first lady of SA rugby?”
“People ask me that, but I don’t think it’s really a thing,” she says, adding that being a sportsman’s wife isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Siya is often away from home for weeks on end and Rachel is left to cope with the kids.
“The dynamics change constantly. You have a three-year-old who’s missing his dad and can’t understand why he has to speak to him on the phone.”
To stay fit and clear her head, Rachel heads to the boxing ring. She believes it’s important to stay busy and active.
She was recently involved in a project to set up a mobile library at a primary school in Lotus River on the Cape Flats. Her next project is collecting school shoes for needy children, a cause close to her heart as Siya went barefoot for the first 10 years of his life.
Siya has come a long way but he’s never forgotten his roots.
His mother was 15 when she had him and he was raised by his grandmother Nolulamile in the Port Elizabeth township of Zwide. He was only nine when his gran collapsed and died in front of him in the kitchen. His aunt Nomnikelo Letitia Kolisi then took care of him but she also died not long afterwards.
His talent for rugby earned him a bursary to attend Grey Junior School and he stayed in the school hostel. After matriculating at Grey High, he played for Western Province, the Stormers then the Springboks.
But his teenage years were marked by further losses – Siya’s mom died when he was 16.
His half-siblings were placed in an orphanage. But in 2014 Siya managed to track them down and took them in, raising his half-sister and half-brother despite the demands of his rugby career.
“Rugby was something that took him away from his environment of poverty and hunger,” Rachel says. “As he grew older and started playing professionally it became an income for him, a lifeline that kept him motivated.”
She doesn’t want to comment on Siya’s achievement of being the first black Bok captain.
She’s aware it’s something that has attracted a lot of reaction but Siya has already responded so well to it there’s nothing she can add.
At a news conference after his captaincy was announced, Siya said he’s not a politician and neither is the coach. He just wants to play good rugby and inspire people of all races.
“He’s inspiring – but that’s how his brain works,” she says proudly. “I feel I need to be more like him.”
WHEN Siya is at home, the family enjoy riding bikes on the Sea Point promenade. And they love getting away on weekend adventures, Rachel says. Siya enjoys cooking, bathing the kids or changing nappies. “He’s a very good father.”
Rachel says their little boy can’t get enough of his dad.
“Nic thinks Siya is a superhero. He’s not interested in Batman and Spider-Man – he just wants his dad.”
And although he’s away from home a lot, Rachel says she never feels neglected.
“I have a massive amount of respect for him, the way he deals with situations. His composure – it’s incredible!”