Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has reiterated his intention to use his platform to plough back into the community.
The Springboks were named Team of the Year at the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards in Berlin on Monday for their remarkable World Cup triumph.
Speaking to Sport24‘s veteran journalist Lloyd Burnard in Berlin, Kolisi revealed the importance of community work and how he plans to increase his involvement.
‘We all have our calling and ways in which we should be making a difference,’ he said.
‘The stuff that I’m doing now and the fields that we’re building … that’s how I want to try and make an impact.’
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The 28-year-old added that giving back to fellow South Africans is one of the main reasons why he recommitted his future to the Stormers for at least two more years instead of taking up a lucrative offer abroad.
‘I’m doing a lot of work in the townships and I can’t do that if I’m not at home. I really want to push now while I’m here,’ he explained.
‘I also have to think of my wife and my kids. It’s not just me. Rachel’s business is doing well, so it would need to be a conversation.’
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Touching on the Bok team’s unexpected success under the tutelage of former coach Rassie Erasmus, Kolisi said the unity, cohesion and trust within the squad paved the way for their triumphs.
‘Our unity as a team was so real. I know each guy in that team.
‘There were incidents that happened at the World Cup and I sat there and thought, “You don’t know, man.” I know each guy and while we’re all different, we love South Africa so much that we give everything.
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‘I think people should focus a little bit more on understanding each other instead of looking at someone and judging them.
‘We had to put our differences aside and focus on South Africa and it worked out well. If we can do that in the sporting world, then surely we can do it everywhere else.’
Photo: Getty Images
