Springbok captain Siya Kolisi wants to be remembered for the work he’s done off the field, and not necessarily on it.
The 32-year-old double World Cup winner has transcended the game of rugby and has become a global superstar for the charity work he has done with his foundation – the Kolisi Foundation.
Recently named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of 2024, when speaking to Kolisi it’s easy to say why he’s loved worldwide.
Add to this an ever-smiling face despite the hardships he went through as a youngster and the picture becomes clear.
In an interview on Mind Set Win podcast, Kolisi says of his journey: “The stuff that I saw as a child was not good for a child to see, and I saw it so many times.
“I saw a therapist and started speaking, learning how to express myself, sharing my feelings, and it helped me get through so many things.
“I have doubts in myself but I never have doubts in my team. I know who I have next to me and around me. For us as a team we come from South Africa, and we face challenges each and every single day.
“We’ve been through far worse than a rugby game. A rugby game is just another day, another walk in the park.”
He adds: “[I don’t want to be remembered] for the things I do on the field. What I want to be remembered for is the work I do with my foundation.”
The Kolisi Foundation focuses on education and sport, gender-based violence and food security for communities.
Of the foundation, Kolisi adds: “I think that’s a much bigger impact because the trophies and all the achievements, the records that we set, somebody else will come and break them.
“But I think the lives that you touch off the field, like we do with my foundation, it’s some of the work that I needed as a child that I wish somebody had done for me.”
Kolisi currently plays rugby in France for Racing 92.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za