Siya and Rachel Kolisi celebrate Keziah's 8th birthday with heartfelt tributes

It’s a proud moment for Springboks captain Siya Kolisi and his soon-to-be ex-wife Rachel Kolisi as their daughter, Keziah, turns 8.

Both parents took to social media to express their love and share happy memories of their little girl.

Rachel posted an endearing video montage on her social media, which highlighted memorable moments from Keziah's life, including a boat cruise and visits to a bowling alley.

In her heartfelt caption, Rachel wrote: “My baby is 8 today. She is all things spectacular, and I can’t believe I get to be her mama.” 

She also shared pictures from the birthday celebration with a few friends.

Meanwhile, Siya, who is currently in Dublin following a match against Ireland, took a simpler approach to honour his daughter’s big day. 

He simply posted: “8.”

Fans flocked to the comments section to send their warm wishes to Keziah. @jenjenbruin shared, "Happy birthday, baby girl! Sending loads of blessings. Well done, Rachel, keep doing what you are doing." 

Others joined in the birthday cheer, with @bakedonline commenting, "Happy birthday Kezi!! Gorgeous child," and @timtamsurf expressing, "Happy 8th birthday, beautiful Kez! May all your dreams come true, angel!"

Despite the joy expressed on social media, Rachel also opened up in a recent interview about her family's decision regarding online privacy. 

She revealed that both she and Siya consciously chose not to post their children’s faces on social media anymore.

"We made a conscious decision to no longer share their faces, just to give them the privilege these days of privacy as much as possible, and I also just felt that a lot of people, adults especially, were asking our kids for photos. It's very strange for a seven-year-old. 

"We realised what kind of impact that was having on them and that's not fair." 

Commenting on their decision, one fan, @simplee_leigh, said: “She’s right. I witnessed this in Botswana after our safari holiday. At a small airport, I was shocked. Grown men came with cameras in front of her kids' faces, and she said, ‘No, not them, just me’. She’s a mama bear trying to protect her kids. Let’s respect them.”