'I would have done so much to get that mark': Siya Kolisi praises his son’s ambition despite Afrikaans struggles

Siya Kolisi recently took to social media to share a candid and touching moment that resonated with parents across South Africa.

While waiting in his car during a school pick-up for his 11-year-old son, Nicholas, the rugby icon reflected on the universal struggle of tackling Afrikaans as a second language.

For many South African students, stepping up to the front of the class for an oral exam, struggling to pronounce the words or having to bridge the grammatical gap between English or isiXhosa and Afrikaans, is a rite of passage filled with nerves.

It appears Nicholas is no different, as Siya revealed his son was disappointed with his recent Afrikaans marks.

However, the man who led South Africa to back-to-back World Cup titles viewed the situation through a much more humble lens, reflecting on his own academic hurdles.

"I would have done so much to get the mark that he got," Siya admitted with a laugh, highlighting the contrast between his son’s high standards and his own history with the subject.

He confessed that his own grasp of the language was so poor during his school years that he was jokingly chased out of the Afrikaans classroom.

Despite his lighthearted honesty, Siya expressed immense pride in Nicholas’s drive to excel.

While he can manage the basics, comfortably sharing sentences like "Hoe gaan dit met jou" and "Goeie môre," he admitted that his son’s academic ambition far exceeds what he achieved.

Siya and his wife Rachel announced their divorce in October 2024, promising to remain friends and co-parent their children.

The father-of-two frequently uses his social media platforms to proudly share precious moments with his children.

IOL Lifestyle