Immortal Yet Still Human: How Siya Kolisi Conquered The World, Twice, Despite Challenging Childhood
- Siya Kolisi captained South Africa to back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023,
- He grew up in Zwide, facing hunger, violence and deep poverty
- Today, he uses his platform to fight gender-based violence and support mental health awareness
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi joined rugby's immortals after becoming only the second man in history to captain his country to back-to-back World Cup titles. Given his childhood, however, and the challenges that he had to overcome, it would be an understatement to say that anyone expected him to reach such dizzy heights and etch his name into the record books forever.
Source: Instagram
According to multiple sources, Siya Kolisi had a challenging childhood. He grew up in the township of Zwide in Port Elizabeth, where he experienced a myriad of challenges that included violence, death and severe hunger.
At times, the poverty was so severe that a young Siya experienced what he would later describe as hunger so intense that it actually caused him physical pain.
Describing this dark period in his formative years, Siya told the BBC:
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"It went past being hungry; it was actually painful in your stomach," he says. "I could feel my intestines twisting in the middle of the night. I would scream to my grandmother and she would get me sugar water and it would settle it down."
How did rugby become Siya Kolisi's escape?
He also revealed that his childhood was blighted by constant violence, with some of it occurring at home. He was forced to endure feelings of helplessness as he witnessed close relatives, including his mother and aunt, being victims of gender-based violence.
In the same interview, he told the BBC:
"At home, like right next to me while I was sleeping, I'd wake up hearing the screaming of my mum or my aunt," he says. "Or I'd be walking to school and seeing someone getting beaten in the middle of the street and no one doing anything about it because people felt it wasn't their business."
He also experimented with sniffing petrol before he was even 10 years of age. Luckily for him, rugby provided an outlet.
The scholarship that changed his life
Due to his passion and talent in rugby, he secured a scholarship to study at Grey High School, a leading private school, where his mindset changed completely. At Grey High School, Siya worked hard to develop his prodigious rugby skills, which in turn opened up more opportunities that he took full advantage of.
This eventually saw him being called up to the Springboks. Though he initially struggled to establish himself in the starting XV, he persevered and eventually became an integral part of the team. Not only did he manage to secure his place in the side, but he also became the captain and led them to back-to-back World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023.
Siya Kolisi occasionally share throwback footage of his days in high school. Earlier this year, he posted a snap on Instagram of himself with his former teammates at Grey Boys High School.
Source: Instagram
In another social media post, Kolisi shared a throwback to Craven Week. Take a look at the post below:
Giving back and speaking out
However, Siya never forgot the challenges he faced in his childhood. The Springboks captain is a passionate activist who speaks out against gender-based violence. Together with his then-wife, Rachel, he launched the Kolisi Foundation in 2020 to address gender-based violence, food insecurity, and education and sport.
He is also passionate about mental health and has advocated for people, particularly men, to ask for help and speak up so that they do not end up committing suicide. He told The Guardian:
“I want to encourage people that it’s OK to look for help. Too many people commit suicide out of desperation because they’re too proud to talk to someone else. I want to encourage men to speak because they don’t talk to each other. Men don’t open up or want to cry. Men want to look strong at all times. But life is not about that. You can’t carry all that weight because it can break you.”
Still relatable despite his achievements
However, what stands out about Siya Kolisi's life is that despite his remarkable achievements, he is still relatable to the layperson. Where other people might take elaborate precautions to hide their flaws and pretend otherwise, the Springboks captain has been quite candid about his own.
He has been open about his personal struggles and has embraced them so that he can teach and inspire others. He has spoken publicly about his challenges with drinking, patronising strip clubs, and pornography.
He told The Guardian:
“I drank when I was happy or sad, or dealing with something. Drinking was the only way I knew to get through this stuff.”
By accepting and being open about his own shortcomings, Siya Kolisi makes it easier for other people to understand that they do not have to be defined by their challenges. They can still aspire for better and achieve more, just like the Springboks captain.
Siya Kolisi shares a glimpse into his Easter weekend with family
In another story, Briefly News reported the Springboks captain posted photos of his family time over Easter. The rugby player, who has been divorced for a while, spent Easter Friday with his children and siblings.
In the pics, Kolisi and his family were enjoying a day at the pool. But, he also made time for the One who Easter is all about.
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Source: Briefly News
