Business

The man who went from a gang-riddled suburb to one of South Africa’s biggest sports stars

Kirsten Minnaar • 13 June 2026

Cheslin Kolbe went from growing up in the gang-ridden suburb of Scottsville to becoming one of South Africa’s most revered Springbok players.

Today, Kolbe is a two-time Rugby World Cup winner and one of the most recognisable figures in South African sport, but he didn’t have an easy start to life.

Born on 28 October 1993, Kolbe grew up in an area where crime and gang violence were part of everyday life.

He has previously spoken about witnessing violence in his community and even being mugged at knifepoint as a young man. Many of his peers were drawn into gangs and crime, but Kolbe knew he wanted a different future.

Sport became his escape. “I grew up in a family where sport was everything,” Kolbe explained on Investec’s Everything Counts podcast.

“My dad and my mom participated in athletics and rugby. Athletics was my number one during primary and high school, and rugby was always a favourite because my dad was a big influence in the community.”

His father, Andrew, was a talented rugby player, but his professional opportunities were limited during apartheid.

As such, rugby was part of Kolbe’s life from an early age. Even so, he never imagined he would one day make a career from the game.

“I always loved rugby, but I never thought that I would make rugby a professional career, to be quite honest,” he said.

Instead, he focused on working hard and making the most of every opportunity. That work ethic extended beyond sport.

Growing up, Kolbe learned important lessons about discipline and money from his father. “My dad would always tell me, ‘Listen, use your money wisely. Be careful what you spend it on.'”

In primary school, he would save the R1 or R2 he received each day, often keeping it until the weekend or even saving for an entire month.

“The discipline has always been there,” he said. “My dad definitely instilled good values in terms of saving and teaching me that tool at quite a young age.”

Becoming a world rugby star

Kolbe’s path to rugby success was far from straightforward. Despite his talent, Kolbe’s small stature counted against him in a sport traditionally dominated by bigger players.

He repeatedly failed to make provincial youth teams, advancing only a few rounds through the Western Province trials year after year. By the age of 16, frustration had set in.

“Everybody was telling me I was obviously too small and too light to play the game because I was playing against bigger guys,” he said.

After years of disappointment, he decided to give it one final attempt. “I’m going to give it one more crack. I’m going to train as hard as I can and stay committed,” he said.

His effort finally paid off. In 2009, he progressed through all 12 rounds of trials and earned selection for the broader Western Province Under-16 squad.

“I was very overwhelmed because I was playing against schools which had 50 or 60 kids coming with a bus to those trials, and I was the only one from my school.”

That breakthrough set Kolbe on a path that would eventually take him to Western Province, the Stormers, the Blitzboks, and French giant Toulouse.

Along the way, he won an Olympic bronze medal with the South African Sevens team at the 2016 Rio Olympics and established himself as one of the most dangerous attacking players in world rugby.

His international breakthrough came in 2018 after Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus ended the policy of excluding overseas-based players from Springbok selection.

Kolbe made his Test debut against Australia and scored his first international try a week later in a memorable victory over New Zealand in Wellington.

A year later came the moment that cemented his place in South African rugby history. Having battled an ankle injury during the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Kolbe recovered in time for the final against England.

In the 73rd minute, he produced the sidestep and acceleration that had become his trademark, scoring a famous try as South Africa secured a 32-12 victory and lifted the Webb Ellis Cup.

Life after rugby

Although Kolbe hopes that he still has a good few years of rugby ahead of him, he has started preparing himself mentally and financially for the day his sports career comes to an end.

“Rugby is only going to last you 10 to 15 years, and then you have your whole lifetime after that,” he said.

Kolbe admitted he is not entirely sure what he will do once his rugby career ends, but it is clear he has no intention of sitting still.

“What’s the next step when your rugby career is done? Where do you go, what do you do?” he reflected. “For me, today, I’m not 100% sure yet, but there are a few plans.”

“The advice I’ve gotten from people around me is to focus on what you need to do now, and implement other things slowly so that when you retire, you don’t just retire and there’s nothing – you have something you can fall into.”

One venture Kolbe has dipped his toe into is the finances and investing space. Through his role as an Investec ambassador, he has spoken about the importance of financial planning and preparing for life after rugby.

Today, Kolbe is focused on long-term financial security, but he admitted to making mistakes early in his career. Like many young professional athletes, one of his first major purchases was a car.

“I’ve learned the hard way,” he said. “The biggest purchase I made was a car. It’s obviously not a very smart decision at such a young age.”

Looking back, he describes it as an important lesson. “I had it for a few years, didn’t make any money off it when I sold it. That was a flag for me that cars are not any benefit to your future,” he said.

However, for Kolbe, success has never been measured solely by trophies or financial security. He explained that he hopes to continue inspiring others, both on and off the field.

“I just want to continue to do my best and have a positive impact on others out there, be an inspiration and role model, not just on the field but off the field as well,” he said.