The Tough African Woman Tackling Rugby

Wendy Luhabe is breaking ground in the patriarchal world of rugby. She plans to get more Africans and women playing the hard-hitting sport.

- Gareth Cotterell

South African entrepreneur Wendy Luhabe has 26 years of experience in the boardrooms of a variety of businesses. She is now adding the unlikely sport of rugby to that list.

In July, Luhabe started her stint as the first female director of the World Rugby board. Her seat on this board is surprising as rugby is a largely white male-dominated sport in South Africa.

“I’m not a rugby fan, surprise, surprise. But I’m a patriot. Over the years, I’ve watched all the Springboks’ World Cup games, but not because I’m a sports fan. Most women don’t have the luxury of watching sport because we tend to have much more important things to do,” she says. “[Like] making a home, looking after children. It’s time consuming.”

In addition to being a wife and mother, Luhabe is also the Chair and Founder of the Women Private Equity Fund and has held governance roles with Vodacom, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), the International Marketing Council (IMC) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

She was selected among 60 candidates from all over the world to help reform World Rugby, the international governing body of the sport. Luhabe was appointed alongside Mervin Davies, a former Welsh international rugby player and prominent businessman, as independent directors on the World Rugby board. Luhabe’s lack of experience in the oval-balled sport doesn’t bother her.

“We’re living in times where good governance is critical in any institution, not just sport… I think it’s more important to have business people because we are the ones that have the most governance experience than other sectors.”