Aseza Hele has revealed the source of tears she shed after South Africa made history at the Women’s Rugby World Cup – giving praise both to Siya Kolisi and the grandmother who raised her.
Victory over Italy, a nation four places above them in the world rankings, provided the shock of the tournament to date, catapulting the Springbok Women into the quarter-finals for the first time, with a game to spare.
Rassie Erasmus led the chorus of approval for Hele and her teammates, revealing he set his alarm for 2.30 am in New Zealand to watch live coverage of the match played in York.
At the final whistle, Hele was not alone in being overwhelmed by emotion and has now explained exactly what went through her mind in that glory moment.
“I was thinking of my granny, Zodwa, who brought up me and my sister Athi,” said the barnstorming number eight and scorer of four tries in South Africa’s two games. “I felt so emotional.
“As children, we would wake at midnight to pray with her. She was forever telling us, ‘Believe in prayer, believe in God. Anything can happen if you believe in God and yourself.’ How right she was. Look at what we have achieved here.
“My granny passed away in 2014. She would have been so proud. I spoke to my sister after the game and said, “Is this real? Please pinch me!”
Investment in the youth
The Springbok Women did not even play between 2014 and 2017 as SA Rugby decided to focus on developing teenage girls rather than continue chasing a losing cause.
Nobody expected them to reach the knockout stages here, with perhaps one notable exception. Kolisi, two-time World Cup-winning captain of the Springbok Men, has always had their back.
In a country where, for too long, women’s rugby was not afforded recognition, let alone respect, Kolisi assumed the role of chief cheerleader, even turning up to support them in one of their game jerseys.
“Women have been supporting us for a very long time and they deserve the same support that we get every single weekend,” he told the nation. “It’s is our duty as men in the game to make sure we be there, because if the women’s game grows the whole of rugby grows and we all benefit out of it.”
A year on from those comments, the Springbok Women, unbeaten leaders of Pool D, prepare to face France on Sunday knowing that the worst-case scenario is a last-eight clash with holders New Zealand.
Being seen by Siya
“We are now being seen,” Hele said. “Feeling love and respect. A lot of that is down to Siya, oh that man is so lovely and warm. You talk about warmth, you talk about Siya. He’s so humble, he loves everyone. You can talk to him about anything.
“We are from the same neighbourhood. We play on the same fields. Our clubs are next door, literally we play on the same field, the same stadium in Zwide.
“Siya wants us to grow, like he did, get the opportunities that he got and never dreamed of getting. He wants to make that happen for us as well.
“When other people weren’t recognising us, he was shouting and rooting for us, calling people to come and watch our games. And they definitely came, like they never had before. People really listen to him.”
Hele’s childhood was spent in KwaDwesi, a township outside Gqeberha, the coastal city formerly known as Port Elizabeth, just seven kilometres from Zwide, where Kolisi hails.
One of the more dangerous areas in South Africa to grow up, Hele played netball until she needed to work to support her family and had to sacrifice the sport in order to do so.
“I couldn’t quit my job because netball wasn’t professional and so did not pay,” she recalled. “I had to buy my own skirts and pay for travel. And then training clashed with work.
“Somebody suggested I try rugby instead. I didn’t know where it would to take me, but I fell in love with the game, was able to work around it and never looked back.”
Across in the Western Cape, teammate Babalwa Latsha lived in another township notorious for violence against women and children. Speaking to Planet Rugby last year, she admitted the rugby pitch quickly became the place she felt safest.
Latsha, eight months Hele’s senior, said her dream was for a South Africa where young women can grow up safely, freely and confidently; where boys and girls see themselves as equals.
In her testimony, she said she was obliged to withstand insults and gender stereotypes. Yet 12 months on from that interview, Hele paints a picture of a more enlightened environment for women in rugby.
Doubtless, that has been helped by Kolisi championing their cause, and by Erasmus, back in 2019, whilst director of rugby for SARU, decreeing that the women’s side should be made a priority for the first time.
The upshot? “People know about us,” says Hele. “They know and respect us. Before, they didn’t even know women’s rugby existed.
“They didn’t care. We have had to fight and earn that respect, and we have kept fighting for our right to be seen and to feel we belong. Men are now supporting us. It’s not just women or little girls.”
World Cup success
Success in this World Cup has been measured in many different ways. It has only been going a fortnight and already it has swamped the host nation with positive vibes.
Nobody is suggesting the battle for equal rights is anywhere near won in South Africa, or anywhere else for that matter. But listening to Hele you do feel encouraged. And, she insists, the Springbok Women are not done yet.
“Moving forward to the quarter-finals, we’ll see who we play,” she says, inferring that her team do not view France as a Mission Impossible and thus are not assuming they will face the Black Ferns in the quarters as pool runners-up.
“Maybe we play New Zealand, maybe it will be Ireland, you never know,” she says. “We’ll got out, be ourselves and see where it takes us.”
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