CCMA papers lay bare the battle for the soul of the (Siya and Rachel) Kolisi Foundation

Papers lodged at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) show that Rachel Kolisi, the former wife of Springbok Siya Kolisi, is taking on the board of the Kolisi Foundation — the NGO at which she served as CEO until recently.

The complaint, submitted on 25 March, alleges that Rachel Kolisi had been subjected to “constructive dismissal” — defined in South African labour law as occurring when an employee resigns because “the employer made continued employment intolerable for the employee”.

The papers summarise the facts of the dispute as follows: “The applicant resigned because the employer acted unfairly and made continued employment intolerable.”

In response to the question: “Was [the] dismissal procedure unfair?”, the form records “Yes”.

Under “results required”, the form records: “Reinstatement and/or compensation”.

Illustrative image: Kolisi Foundation board members Mahlatse Mashua. (Photo: Kolisi Foundation) | Hannah Sadiki. (Photo: Kolisi Foundation) | Andrew Muir. (Photo: Kolisi Foundation) | Ziyanda Ntshona. (Photo: Kolisi Foundation)

Contacted by Daily Maverick on Thursday, Rachel Kolisi responded: “I won’t be commenting on this, at this stage.”

Daily Maverick sent questions to the Kolisi Foundation board but had received no response by the time of publication. Should a response be received, this article will be updated to reflect it.

The Kolisi Foundation board is made up of Rachel and Siya Kolisi; the CEO of Bidvest Financial Services, Hannah Sadiki; the head of corporate at Poswa Incorporated, Ziyanda Ntshona; the CEO of the Wilderness Foundation Africa, Andrew Muir; and the managing director of Roc Nation Sports South Africa — Siya Kolisi’s agency — Mahlatse Mashua.

Resignation blindsided partners 

Questions have swirled over the future of the Kolisi Foundation since South Africa’s most high-profile pair announced their separation in October 2024, in a development that rocked a nation deeply invested in their “golden couple” status.

Siya and Rachel Kolisi at the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards on 17 February 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo: Simon Hofmann / Getty Images for Laureus)

Representatives of partner organisations told Daily Maverick this week that although Siya and Rachel Kolisi were co-founders of the foundation, Siya’s involvement was limited in comparison to Rachel’s.

“The strength of the foundation has always been the co-founders, but the vision is very clearly Rachel’s,” said the executive director of an NGO which works with the Kolisi Foundation, who asked to remain nameless, together with the organisation, in case the foundation’s board responded retributively in terms of funding.

“In this sector, you can always sense fluff coming through. Rachel is not just a figurehead. She is the real force of the foundation in terms of making the vision work.”

Another foundation collaborator, a GBV activist, said plainly: “Rachel has done this [the foundation]. This is Rachel’s work.”

The Kolisi Foundation was launched in 2022 and, through the star power of its founding couple, has attracted major sponsorships from international brands, including Adidas, Levi’s and Mercedes-Benz. Its work focuses on funding programmes in three streams: food security, gender-based violence, and education and sport.

The consensus from civil society insiders seems to be that the Kolisi Foundation does substantially more practical good than one might expect from such a vehicle, which often become vanity projects for their celebrity founders.

Everyone acknowledges that it is Siya Kolisi’s legendary status as Springbok hero that opens doors. Yet despite her not having previous experience in the NGO world, Rachel Kolisi’s contribution also elicits effusive testimonials from the sector.

“Rachel brought something entirely unique to the funding landscape in South Africa: a leadership style rooted in feminism, collaboration, community and caring connection,” the director of the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children, Bernadine Bachar, told Daily Maverick.

Rachel Kolisi. (Photo: Kolisi Foundation)

Siya Kolisi. (Photo: Kolisi Foundation)

In its latest newsletter, the Kolisi Foundation records as one of its initiatives supporting 34 community kitchens monthly in Zwide and Cape Town, to the tune of more than R500,000 a month.

Partner organisations said this week in response to questions from Daily Maverick that they had been blindsided by the news of Rachel Kolisi’s ostensible resignation.

“We [partner organisations] were contacted before the divorce [announcement] to say that the announcement was coming, but we were assured that it would not have an impact on the work of the Kolisi Foundation. So I was shocked,” said the GBV activist.

“It came as a surprise to all of us. We were aware when the separation [from Siya Kolisi] happened that she took time off, but anyone would do the same. There was never a sign that she was going anywhere. She had recently attended strat [strategic planning] week,” said the executive director.

The director said that no official reason had been given for Rachel Kolisi’s stepping away — but unofficially, it was believed to be connected to the board’s discomfort over social media posts in which she has expressed her sadness over the divorce process.

Mystery surrounds resignation  

News of Rachel Kolisi’s ostensible resignation first broke on 28 February via an Instagram post from one such NGO, the Justice Desk, which stated: “This morning, we had the privilege of joining fellow GBV organisations to surprise Rachel with a heartfelt farewell. Her unwavering support for our work, especially through the iNtsika yeThemba and Mbokodo Programs, has been truly impactful. We were saddened to hear that she will no longer be CEO of the Kolisi Foundation, but we know she will continue to do incredible things.”

Rachel Kolisi has made no public comment on the matter.

The Kolisi Foundation told News24 at the time: “The Kolisi Foundation is aware of recent media reports and inquiries. The board is actively managing the situation with the utmost care and responsibility. Our primary focus is to ensure the stability and continuity of the Foundation’s mission and impact.

“In the interim, the board has appointed one of its members as acting CEO to ensure continuity and stability. A formal statement will be issued by the board in due course. Until then, we will not be making any further comments.”

Almost a month later, no “formal statement” has been issued.

In the absence of an official narrative, some media outlets have created one.

“Rachel Kolisi has stepped down as CEO of the Kolisi Foundation while seemingly stepping into a ‘new chapter’ of glossy magazine cover shoots and fitness ventures,” enthused The Citizen.

The CCMA filing suggests, however, that the reality behind the scenes is much bleaker — and probably tangled in the mess of divorce.

In a 2021 podcast interview, both Siya and Rachel Kolisi stressed that the foundation was a joint project.

“When we launched the foundation, we were quite intentional about launching the Kolisi Foundation, not the Siya Kolisi Foundation. And that is because it is my heart, too,” Rachel Kolisi told interviewer Alberto Lidji.

“The first couple of interviews that we were doing, everyone was like, ‘and the Siya Kolisi Foundation,’ and Siya always would stop them and be like, ‘it’s the Kolisi Foundation.’” DM