Sep 2021 - Ballito Umhlanga

A businesswoman and mother of four,
31-year-old Rachel is a very busy lady.
Yet, through her transition from being
a small-town Eastern Cape farm girl to
living life in the spotlight as Siya’s wife,
she manages the ebb and flow of her
life with honesty, humility and a little
bit of humour!
On your background and
childhood ...
“I grew up in the small town of
Grahamstown and always dreamed
of being a farmer or a farmer’s wife.
I loved horses and the outdoors
and was definitely rebellious in my
teenage years, giving my parents
lots of headaches! I was never an
academic and actually struggled a lot
at school, but I loved and excelled in
sport. One of five kids, there weren’t
resources available to us to go to
university after school so I worked any
and all jobs, just to pay the bills. The
experience honestly taught me so
much about life and people though,
from handing out flyers from 5am
to 7am to working as a waitress at
two different restaurants and doing
promotions, babysitting and house
sitting. I now know what it feels like
to be ignored when you’re standing
at a robot and shouted at when food
is cold. It was extremely character
building. Throughout my life I have
met highly successful people who
didn’t go to university. I thought if
they could do it, then so could I. When
I started working as a receptionist in
a network marketing company and
was promoted to office manager (the
youngest in the company), I felt my
career was ready to take off. Siya and I
fell pregnant with Nic though and my
career took a bit of a back seat.”
On how motherhood has
changed your life …
“We definitely weren’t expecting to
fall pregnant! I was told I couldn’t have
kids, so Nic is a miracle baby if ever
there was one. It was a challenging
time and a hard adjustment having
my freedom and independence taken
away almost overnight. Everything
happened very fast. Siya’s brother
Liyemo (who was 12) and sister
Liphelo (who was 6) came to live
with us when Nic was just three
months old. Nic was premature and spent a month in ICU and then I fell quite
ill afterwards. The whole experience was overwhelming because everything
was so accelerated. When Siya went away on his first tour for a month and I had
the three kids alone I realised I couldn’t do it all and decided to give up my job.
I didn’t have postpartum depression, but I felt very frustrated and almost went
into ‘robot mode’. I remember saying to the doctor, okay, just tell me what I need
to do to keep this baby alive!? The kids are now aged 18, 12, 6 and 4 years old.”
On your marriage and relationship with Siya …
“To be honest, it took us a while to find our rhythm and get to where we are now.
We had a lot of change in our relationship really fast and we struggled to find
what worked for us. Things have improved a lot over the past few years though,
especially now through Covid. We’ve discovered a new lease on life and are so
grateful for the time that we have together. We are working hard at being as
intentional as possible when we are together and are learning to relax and enjoy
life and laugh more. I think we have realised we don’t always have to be serious
– although those serious conversations are necessary sometimes (and thank the
Lord for therapy!). Siya mentioned the other day that he would like to live on a
farm one day … so my farm life dream still might come true, haha!”
On your health and fitness journey …
“I’ve always loved being fit and healthy, but it really has been an up-and-down,
ever-fluctuating part of my life ... and I used to feel very self-conscious about that.
You know, you post a photograph of yourself with abs and then a few months
later you don’t look like that anymore and then you feel shameful about that. I
have realised, though, that if I feel this way, there are other women who feel this
way too. Although I had a bad experience with a business partner who didn’t
share my vision in my previous business, I have some amazing plans and ideas
in place for this space. I want to address the realness of what we face as women
and facilitate open, honest conversations around it. I’m especially passionate
about helping young girls who are growing up with so much pressure and with
social media so much a part of their lives.”
On the Kolisi Foundation …
“This is probably the thing I love talking about the most. Siya and I started the
Kolisi Foundation in April last year during the first Covid lockdown and it has
been a phenomenal journey. We now have a wonderful team and, even if we
aren’t able to be there and hands-on, there is still incredible work going on
all the time. It’s not an ‘immediate relief’ foundation (although that is how we
started, sourcing food and PPE last year and we also helped out with food relief
during the recent riots), but it is about working on big, sustainable projects
that can make a difference for years to come. Our focus is on partnering with
organisations that are already on the ground working in the areas of food
security, gender-based violence, education and sports development.”
On moving and starting a new life on the North Coast …
“I’m not big on change, so I actually struggled with this a lot in the beginning.
The kids and I are moving here in December, but I have been able to come
down a few times already to set up our home. I can honestly say I have never
felt more welcome anywhere in my life. I have been completely overwhelmed
by how friendly and kind people are here. And it’s not just because it’s us, it’s
because they are just good people. It’s refreshing to be surrounded by such
open, kind people and it has made me so excited to live here. We have some
friends here from the Springboks, like Kuziva and Tendai Mtwarira and JP and
Megan Pietersen, and we’ve made other friends already too. The kids are also
very excited. We are slowly familiarising ourselves with the area and I have
already discovered some amazing, local businesses that I can’t wait to support
and connect with. Also, how wonderful is this winter weather!? ”
Details: : @rachel_kolisi, @kolisi_foundation
September 2021 Get It • Ballito Umhlanga 09