I can’t claim to know much about rugby. And when I do watch a game, it is with fans who school me on what’s happening.
That said, I wasn’t ignorant of who the key figures were or who Siya Kolisi was. Aside from the news headlines around his feats on the field, his appointment as the first black captain of the South African Springboks in 2018 was a long-overdue victory in and of itself.
And it was welcomed and celebrated by Mzansi, more so when he brought home the World Cup in a glorious defeat of England in Japan in 2019.
Off the field, his interracial marriage to Rachel embodied the spirit of what it means to be part of a rainbow nation.
Over the years, Siya and Rachel have become Mzansi’s darling couple. And their adorable moments on social media often top the trends list.
As such, I was curious to see how “Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story” plays into the national hero fandom. It also sheds light on how his humble beginnings grounded him on his journey.
The 31-year-old sports icon grew up in Zwide, a township on the outskirts of Gqeberha (previously Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape.
The documentary feature by Tebogo Malope is beautifully shot with the opening frames of Zwide, where the kids can be seen playing on the street.
Born Siyamthanda Kolisi on Youth Day in 1991, the viewer is introduced to the struggles he faced from birth. His mother was ill-equipped to raise a child. And so the responsibility fell onto his grandmother, who raised him as a little boy.
Once the tone was set, the frame shifted to news clip reels celebrating his strides in rugby.
Michael Yormark, President of Rock Nation Sport’s International, said: “People kept telling him you can’t make it, and he kept saying, ‘Watch me’.”
Hannah Sadiki, who is the Kolisi Foundation Chair/CEO of Bidvest Financial Services; Zelda La Grange, the former Private Secretary to Nelson Mandela, as well as the late Bishop Archbishop Desmond Tutu, explain the magnitude of Siya’s achievement given the country’s history.
Tutu shared: “Rugby was the premier sport of the whites. In the years of apartheid, it became a symbol of hate for black people.”
That’s not forgetting his peers - Tendai Mtawarira, Bryan Habana, JP Pieterse, Eben Etzebeth, Scarra Ntubeni, Cheslin Kobe and Bongi Mbonambi, among others - as well as sports journalist Vata Ngobeni, sharing their insights.
Grammy award-winning DJ Black Coffee also weighs in on Siya’s achievement in an environment designed to ensure his failure - and that of black people - thanks to the segregation enforced by apartheid.
Black Coffee admitted that Siya gave people a glimmer of hope.
Mtawarira added: “His journey was hard. It was tough. He had to overcome so many challenges.”
The film captures Siya’s polarised worlds with brutal honesty and empathy.
During Siya’s commentary, he admitted that his resilience and a never-give-up attitude were born from the hardship of township life.
He said: “Didn’t have toys. Didn’t have money. Found a brick and used that as my car. The ‘Loxion’ is where he learned ubuntu.”
Viewers get to see where he was raised, the pit toilet they used, and the field where they played rugby with no equipment.
He opened up about going to bed with just sugar water to quell the hunger pangs.
Ultimately, he had two choices, become a victim of circumstance or find a way out - and rugby became not just his salvation but his motivation.
Siya’s father, Fezakele and uncle Vukile, also tell their side of the story. And Siya’s best friend also weighs in on the struggles they had growing up.
Of course, this film wouldn’t be complete without Rachel’s input, and she was commendably candid about how they met, Siya having a girlfriend at the time, her falling pregnant as well as the challenges they faced with his alcoholism after marriage.
In sharing Siya’s journey and how he has become a beacon of hope for the nation, the filmmakers also leaned into footage of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s congratulating him as well as that of Madiba wearing the number 6 jersey at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, captained by Francois Pienaar, to highlight the massive role he has played in helping unite a nation through a game that was once divided them.
“Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story” is streaming on Showmax and is on DStv Catch Up.