“Our priority is to get them off the street”
Coordinator for the day, Siyabulela Landela (nicknamed Siya, like Kolisi the captain of the Springboks) struggles to hide his smile. Because like the hundred children present yesterday, Siya is passionate about rugby. And because like the hundred children present yesterday, Siya grew up in the township of Zwide, north of Port Elizabeth. However, for Siya, receiving the RCT is not just an opportunity to have a good time: it is above all a unique opportunity to show these children that sport is a way to “get off the street, avoid crime”.
You welcome the RCT as part of the Siyaphakama Zwide schools project (Siya, the first name of Kolisi and Phakama, that of his mother) and the Kolisi foundation, named after the captain of the Springboks. Can you tell us about your project?
We are an association that works with six schools in Zwide. Our objective is to develop the practice of sport and physical education. In total, we supervise 2,770 children, boys and girls, aged 12 to 18, and we offer them the opportunity to discover netball, football and cricket. But the vast majority, obviously, want to play rugby. Currently, 637 of these children practice it as part of our project. Our objective is to support them, to allow them to practice rugby with infrastructure and coaches ready to meet all their expectations. Because ultimately, we want them to understand the importance of sport, and everything it can bring them in their daily lives.
We assume that the final goal is not only to offer them the promise of a professional career, as the number of elected officials is so low?
First of all, our mission is social. We want to support the children. Of course they dream of becoming professional and wearing the Springbok jersey. And I sincerely hope that some will succeed, but our priority is to get them off the street, to reduce crime. So every day we see talented children, happy to play as soon as they have a ball in hand, and inevitably, they all admire Siya Kolisi and say to themselves: “Why won't I be next?”
But our role is to support them, to ensure that they come every week and that they grow as a person. Not everyone will become a professional, so we want to show them the best possible path.
-And how did you manage to bring Toulon?
To be honest, it was the RCT which took the steps. When they found out that Toulon was playing in Port Elizabeth, Mathieu Bastareaud (Team Manager) made contact through the Kolisi foundation. The people of Toulon wanted to come and meet us, play and spend time with the children. Obviously, for us, it was a unique opportunity. Toulon is the first team to come and meet us. And today [hier]I saw the children smiling, having fun, laughing. Having the opportunity to meet professionals is more than a dream for some. It's extraordinary, I thank the RCT… You know, many South Africans have never come to a township to meet these kids. So that a huge club like Toulon has taken this step, it means a lot for our children. It affected them greatly, and us too. So there is still a long way to go, but this kind of day can save them…
At this point?
I repeat, but the challenge is not just sporting for us. Here, there is not much to do, some can quickly fall into crime, alcohol, drugs. So meeting stars, professional players, even if they don't necessarily know them since we don't have access to the Top 14, shows them that it's possible. That with work, will and dreams, we can get through this.
