Springbok captain Siya Kolisi the humanitarian fully deserves TIME100 accolade

Comment by Leighton Koopman

From Zwide to two-time world champion to the TIME100 list for 2024.

Springbok legend Siya Kolisi added another feather to his cap on Wednesday as he joined a select group of South Africans – including his icon, former president Nelson Mandela – on the 2024 TIME100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

He features on the list alongside other influential people, including fellow sports star and F1 great Max Verstappen, Spanish soccer star Jenni Hermoso and American footballer Patrick Mahomes.

Actors Taraji P. Henderson and Dev Patel, and Nigerian musician Burna Boy, are also among some of the famous names on the TIME100 list, which will be released today.

To some, it may seem Kolisi is out of place among those appearing on the list.

Yet his rise to greatness from very humble beginnings, along with his passion and determination to change those very humble beginnings for plenty of other South Africans, is exactly why he is and should be on it.

It is not by chance he was selected out of billions of people worldwide for such a massive honour.

Early in his captaincy, Kolisi realised what his appointment as the first black rugby Test captain of South Africa could mean for the country. But it was only after lifting the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019 that the country realised what it meant.

He could’ve easily just gone about his way as the captain, taking the Springboks to win after win, but the rugby on the field wasn’t the be-all and end-all for him.