947 Sports Presenter Calls Out SA Sports Bodies Over GBV Silence, Praises Siya Kolisi
- Sports presenter Cindy Poluta posted a reel on Instagram on 16 September 2026 criticising major SA sporting institutions for staying silent on gender-based violence
- Poluta singled out Springbok captain Siya Kolisi as the only prominent sportsman using his platform to speak out on recent killings of women in South Africa
- The post drew hundreds of comments from followers weighing in on the role men and sporting bodies should play in addressing GBV
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Sports presenter Cindy Poluta has publicly challenged South Africa's biggest sporting institutions to break their silence on gender-based violence, pointing to Springbok captain Siya Kolisi as a rare exception among prominent male sports figures.
Source: UGC
Poluta shared a reel on Instagram on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, expressing frustration that women continue to carry the weight of public outrage following a series of killings, including incidents in Kempton Park, while men and sporting organisations have largely stayed quiet.
Siya Kolisi praised, sporting bodies named
In the video, Poluta acknowledged Kolisi for using his Instagram Stories to highlight the crisis.
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"Nobody is making a video showing rage against it. Most people are women. Thank you, Siya Kolisi, because your Instagram Stories are all about the outrage of what's currently going on," she said.
She then went further, naming specific organisations whose official pages she said had posted nothing on the matter.
"But then I go to official social media pages, Bafana Bafana page, Proteas page, Springbok page, Orlando Pirates page, Kaizer Chiefs page. Nothing. Mamelodi Sundowns, nothing," Poluta said.
She argued that sporting bodies frequently position sports as a unifying force in South Africa, yet sporting platforms go silent when women are being killed.
Watch the clip below.
Followers respond to the call
The post drew a significant response, with supporters backing Poluta's message across the comments section.
@venessatalbot wrote: "👏👏👏💯 in agreement with you, Cindy ❤️", while afkarle simply posted: "Spot on Cindy." @confidentteensmaths asked:
"So true. MEN, where are you? Call to action for all MEN..." and nonamebrand1112 wrote: "100% the problem in this country is the men."
@ nadine_biggs1905 revealed she had personally attempted to get Kolisi involved before his recent posts.
"That time I DM'd Siya on TikTok and IG to post about what is happening on SA, not his lovely NYC trip," she wrote, adding:
"I've called out the men, I've gone into my DMs and called them out; now they are speaking and posting about it... after I asked or sent a message."
@nileenseejiram offered one possible reason for the broader sports community's silence:
"I see horrific stories of sports stars being perpetrators of SA and violence. They need to walk the talk, so I get why they have been silent."
Commenter cerivanzyl questioned the absence of any organised national response:
"Where is the national shutdown for this? Our sisters, mothers, aunts, and daughters are in danger and are dying. Yet there is no national shutdown. We have to be better."
@ itum_2005 thanked Poluta for drawing attention to male accountability:
"Thanks @cindy_poluta for specifically highlighting how important it is for men's involvement and influence in eliminating this brutality on us."
At the time of publishing, none of the institutions named by Poluta had addressed her criticism on their official pages.
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Source: Briefly News
