After a year and some months, we finally got insight into the trials and tribulations of what it took to keep the Siya and Rachel Kolisi machine going.
Rachel Kolisi made an appearance on 947 Radio this Wednesday and chronicled some vulnerable parts of her time balancing being a working mother, balancing a job, and being a wife to the captain of South Africa’s reigning rugby team.
Prior to the divorce, the nation knew Rachel Kolisi as the devoted wife to Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. Beyond the achievements, a huge part of the light and adoration that was showered upon Siya stemmed from his previous marriage that was greatly documented on social media. Beneath that light were unspoken burdens and sacrifices that went unnoticed, and Rachel has decided to turn the light back onto what wasn’t bright enough for the public to see.
Rachel, aged 24 at the time, welcomed the couple’s first child together. Baby Nicholas was followed by adopted older siblings, Liphelo and Liyema. Liyema and Liphelo are also Siya’s siblings that he had been taking care of and taken into his care following the passing of their mother in 2009. While balancing the kids alone as Siya was touring, with a full-time job, Rachel did not struggle to adjust as she had a self-sufficient upbringing from working holiday jobs as a teenager and small businesses at school. Things were going well managing the home and kids while she was on maternity leave, but it all took a slight turn when it was time to return to work.
Things got harder when Rachel’s former employer refused to recognise Liyema and Liphelo as her children, meaning that she could not get time off of work to attend to them when she had to. All the while baby Nicholas was in and out of the hospital due to being born prematurely. Eventually, as she began to burn out, Rachel turned to Siya for assistance. Due to his career, he was rarely home for lengthened periods of time and ultimately making the daily responsibilities fall onto Rachel.
“And at the time we had a couple of his friends staying with us, as well.” Rachel stated in the interview.
This all led to the breaking point when Rachel decided to make the ultimate sacrifice and quit her job. It may have meant one less burden, but her financial reality was yet to sink in.
“I had to ask permission for money,”
Now taking the route of being a SAHM (stay at home mom) and housewife, her financial life became anchored in her ex-husband’s contributions.
“It was one of the most horrific decisions for me because it meant when I needed pads, tampons, shampoo, I had to ask permission for money to be deposited,” she revealed to Anele Mgudlwa and the crew on the popular radio show.
The author is currently touring screenings of her documentary, “Falling Forward”. Putting her life on hold to make space for external fulfillment was a completely different reality than what she had had when she was growing up as a girl who was hard-wired to be independent. Prior to this, financial independence was a pillar in her life.
After eight years of sacrifice and devotion, the Rachel and Siya machine malfunctioned, and the couple announced their divorce in October of 2025. “I’m good by myself,” the philanthropist stated when asked if she felt any pressure to move on.
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