Siya Kolisi has said most of the children the Kolisi Foundation helps feed “come from home without any food”, speaking after the Springboks’ 21-19 defeat to France in Paris.
The Springboks captain was asked at the post-match press conference how the school breakfast programme was going.
“It’s very difficult for any kid to study or play sport when they’re hungry,” he said. “And I think most of the kids come from home without any food.”
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‘It helps the teachers a lot’
“It’s going well, it’s with the European Cup,” Kolisi said, most likely a reference to EPCR, the body that runs the Champions Cup and a partner in the Emirates Nourishment Programme.
He said the aim was to use rugby to give back to the communities, and that the porridge is simple enough to make without electricity. “So it helps the teachers a lot,” he said.
He finished by saying he was “grateful for all the support”.
Six schools in Zwide
The Kolisi Foundation’s breakfast work started in Zwide, the township in Gqeberha where Kolisi grew up. Its Siyaphakama project has provided breakfast at six schools there since 2022, with partners Ubuntu Pathways, United Through Sport and KaziBantu.
In August 2024 the foundation said it had raised the amount from 2,700kg to 4,100kg of porridge a month.
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The Emirates programme
On 3 November Kolisi joined the Emirates Nourishment Programme at Eluxolweni Primary School in Cape Town. Representatives from Emirates, EPCR and the Kolisi Foundation helped serve breakfast porridge to the more than 800 pupils who took part.
The programme was launched in June 2026 and aims to support 2,000 children a year across Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. According to Emirates, that adds up to about 400,000 breakfasts a year, running to 2030.
Kolisi leads the Springboks against Ireland in Dublin next.
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Watch Rassie Erasmus and Siya Kolisi’s full post-match press conference after France 21-19 South Africa:
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