Humility and generosity are words that crop up often when people talk in glowing terms about the attributes of new Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. Bok coach Rassie Erasmus used them and so did Grey High rector Chris Erasmus when they joined the thunderous chorus of approval for the new man in charge.
People close to his roots in Zwide, such as former Southern Kings chief executive Anele Pamba, also talk of Kolisi’s impeccable manners and desire to help those less fortunate than he is.
When Kolisi was in Port Elizabeth with the Springboks last year for the test against Argentina, he took his teammates out for a slap-up tshisa nyama feast in Zwide.
The forward also said he gave away all the test tickets he received to those less fortunate and would like to buy everyone a ticket if he could afford it.
So, despite all the adulation that goes with being an international star, Kolisi has not forgotten his humble township beginnings.
I once accompanied Kolisi to his former primary school in Zwide when he went to hand out rugby kits to the pupils.
Classrooms were deserted at Emsengeni Primary School when Kolisi, who honed his skills there as a junior in 2003, made his much-anticipated appearance.
“This is where it all started for me,” Kolisi said as he pointed to the bumpy field where he used to enjoy break-time games with his schoolmates.
“We used to play touch rugby with our school shoes on. That was what I looked forward to every day.
“In my days when we played we used to swap our jerseys with the next team and they were always stinky and sweaty. That is what it is like in the townships.
“It was then that I decided that if I made it one day I would like to buy my school a set of jerseys.
“It makes a big difference for the children and gives them motivation and something to look forward to.”
One of the proudest people at the handover was Emsengeni principal Eric Songwiqi, who coached Kolisi when he was a junior.
“I coached Siya when he was in under-12 and I could see he had very real promise right from the start. Siya was always disciplined, well mannered and a good listener.”
Kolisi said he owed a lot to Songwiqi, who had been an early mentor.
“Mr Eric has made a huge difference to my life. I was playing for African Bombers and he asked me to come to Emsengeni.“It was here I was selected for the EP under-12 trials. It was then that I got a scholarship to Grey,” Kolisi said.
Born to a 16-year-old mother and a father who was in matric in Zwide, Kolisi was raised by his grandmother after his mother, Phakama, died when he was 15.
“Times were tough when I was little and often there wasn’t food. I would go to bed hungry,” Kolisi says. “Sometimes we didn’t have enough money to pay my primary school fees, which were only R50 a year.”
Spotted at an under-12 rugby festival by Grey Junior School rugby master Andrewe Hayidakis, Kolisi was given a scholarship to Port Elizabeth’s elite sporting school.
By grade 11, he was playing for the Grey first XV, but that level of rugby was easy for a youngster who had been playing township rugby against hardebaarde for years.
Forbidden from playing club rugby because of his scholarship, Kolisi continued to sneak out for the odd game.
Inevitably he suffered a serious ankle injury in one of the club games, but fortunately after the Grey rugby season had ended. He told his rugby coaches he had injured himself playing a social game of soccer. He’s never confessed until now.
When Kolisi made his debut for the Springboks against Scotland in 2013, Pamba, a member of the African Bombers club, gave an interesting insight into the mindset of the rising star.
“Siya did not have things easy when he was growing up on the dusty streets of Zwide,” Pamba said.
“He also used to play for Bombers during the school holidays.
“The thing that struck me about Siya was that he always called me sir, and he still does to this day. He was ahead of his time and was playing first-team rugby at the age of 16.
“It is wonderful that a young man from the streets of Zwide has made it to the top,” Pamba said.
Kolisi describes Nelson Mandela Bay as the spiritual home of South African rugby and says he loves playing in the city.
He is ensured of a rapturous reception when he runs onto the field for the Boks to face Australia in Port Elizabeth on September 29.