As a child, I didn’t dream of winning a World Cup, I dreamt of where my next meal was coming from...
ALL beaming smiles, Siya Kolisi picked out his family in the stands and ran over for the warmest of embraces. He shared the proudest of words with his father, Fezakele, who had travelled outside of South Africa for the first time to watch his son captain the Springboks in the World Cup final.
Then he landed a smacker of a kiss on the lips of his wife, Rachel, who was accused of ‘wasting good genes’ when they married in 2016. And finally, he picked up his two children, Nicholas Siyamthanda and Keziah, and carried them around the pitch to revel in one of rugby’s greatest success stories — occasionally breaking out into dance.
For those who do not already know, Kolisi grew up in the township of Zwide. He was an underweight child who slept on the floor and survived on jam sandwiches. With no money to the family name, his favourite toy was a brick. Aged 12, his grandmother died in his arms. By the age of 16, his mother and aunt had also died and he subsequently lost contact with his two half-siblings, who disappeared when they were sent to an orphanage.
Not much in life went Kolisi’s way, but he always had a natural flair for rugby. He arrived at his first trial i n his boxer shorts because he could not afford rugby shorts, but he was subsequently offered an escape from poverty with a scholarship at a private school in Port Elizabeth.
Fast forward to November 2, 2019 and Kolisi is the new face of rugby. The cool, smiling flanker whose name was chanted — ‘Siya! Siya! Siya!’ — as he lifted the Webb Ellis Cup above his head as the Springboks’ first black captain. Back in the streets of South Africa, they danced and sang and celebrated in the name of Kolisi and his team.
He is the man who has lifted a nation split by political and racist tension. Nelson Mandela would be proud. When you consider what they were playing for, perhaps it should be no surprise that South Africa won last night.
‘This was more than a game for us,’ said Kolisi, who tracked down his siblings six years ago and adopted them.
‘We are really grateful to have our families here and our wives deserve credit for looking after the children which allows us to play. I just want to inspire my kids and every other kid in South Africa and I hope they are proud. I never thought this would happen... at all. When I was a kid, all I was thinking about was getting my next meal.
‘ There are so many people in South Africa who just need an opportunity — I got my opportunity and I took it with both hands. There are so many stories that have been told like this in South Africa. I am hoping we have given people a little bit of hope. We have won for our country and I hope this can make our country better. You can never forget where you’ve come from and the people that have been with you through life.’
Kolisi could barely take his eyes off the golden trophy, covered in grubby fingerprints, as he sat beside coach Rassie Erasmus in his press conference.
‘In South Africa, pressure is not having a job or having a close relat i ve who i s murdered,’ said Erasmus. ‘ Rugby should not create pressure, it should create hope. We have a privilege, not a burden.
‘Hope is when you play well and people watch the game and have a nice braai [barbecue] and watch the game, and no matter of political or religious difference for those 80 minutes, you agree when you usually disagree.’
Kolisi was not the only township hero in this South Africa side. Like his captain, winger Makazole Mapimpi grew up in poverty and learnt English as a second language. His mother, brother and sister have all died. Eunice, his mother, was killed in a car crash. His sister, Zukiswa, died suddenly, too, and brother Zolani never recovered from losing a leg when he was electrocuted while stealing electricity cables.
‘This means a lot for me because I’ve come a long way,’ said Mapimpi, standing proudly with his World Cup winner’s medal around his neck. ‘ I’ve seen a lot of things. Things I don’t like. A lot of things happen in South Africa that affect us. We fight to push those things away. Girls getting raped, things like that. We fight for our country.
‘It’s been a long, long, long, long journey. God is good. This is for the boys from the rural area, for the boys who didn’t go to private school. Five years ago, I was playing Sunday league. One of my friends said, “Listen, man, you can make it. You can make money from this thing.” I said, “No, bro, no one is watching me. We are too far from the system.” I got a call asking me to play for Southern Kings and started to believe that one day, I can make it.’
Last night, that day arrived. And off the back of it, thousands more were given hope that their day could follow.