Rachel Kolisi a champion in her own right

Rachel Kolisi is bold, authentic – and extremely likable. At 30, she is a mother of four, has her own business and is committed to making South Africa a better place. GH editor SALLY EMERY sat down with her to find out more about the real Rachel – the woman who often finds herself at the centre of social-media storms for being outspoken, and the wife of one of SA’s most-loved sportsmen, Siya Kolisi

- SALLY EMERY

IT SAYS A LOT ABOUT RACHEL that she spent her 30th birthday plotting her goals for the year ahead. As a woman whose world has changed dramatically since Siya raised the Webb Ellis Cup in Japan in November – igniting joy and unity throughout SA – it is important that she remains focused on the things that matter to her. Like ensuring she is able to bring meaningful change to South Africans in need.

When she was a teenager, Rachel spent two weeks volunteering at an orphanage in Cape Town, laying the foundation for her love of trying to help those less fortunate than herself. Her goal is to complete six community projects this year, starting with rounding up donations for a school outside Cape Town.

I met with Rachel three days after her 30th birthday – and the day before her planned birthday bash the next night. And how was she going to celebrate? If you’re thinking a glam celebrity-style affair, you’d be very wrong. First, she was starting with an hour’s jumping session with friends at a trampoline park, followed by a games evening. And with 24 hours to go before her party, she still didn’t know what she was going to wear. But then this is someone who, being cash-strapped, got her sister to sew her a matric-dance dress out of black rubbish bags. ‘And it was really beautiful,’ she assures me.

As a mom of four – to Siya’s half brother Liyema, 18, and half-sister Liphelo, 12, as well as her and Siya’s kids, Nicholas, 5, and Keziah, 2 – Rachel simply doesn’t have time for pretences. And although her life might seem golden now, as half of Brand Kolisi, Rachel has known her own struggles, which have shaped her into the self-assured, outspoken woman she is today. She talks about her past, her relationship and the importance of keeping it real.

SO, WHO WAS RACHEL BEFORE SHE WAS ‘RACHEL KOLISI’?