Rachel Kolisi recently appeared on Mpoomy Ledwaba’s Wisdom and Wellness podcast, where she opened up about her passion for serving others, her work with the Siya Kolisi Foundation, and how giving back has changed her life.
The podcast, in collaboration with The Earthshot Prize, is celebrating women in sustainability. During her interview, Rachel reflected on her journey of service, the lessons she’s learned, and the deep impact poverty in South Africa has had on her perspective.
According to IOL, Rachel shared how witnessing poverty as a child made her uncomfortable and pushed her toward making a difference. “It started off as a youth when I was walking around. I think that in South Africa, none of us are really removed or are just not able to see the poverty across South Africa and just the struggles tons of communities across SA have,” she said.
“I remember it always made me feel really uncomfortable growing up, like ‘Why do I have all of this privilege and all of these things, but I can walk across the road and literally see five individuals that don’t have?’ It’s just something in my spirit and soul that just never sat right … I knew that I wanted to do something.”
She believes that tackling poverty is not just the government’s responsibility but a duty for every individual. “So I’ve taken on this responsibility, and it is my absolute privilege to do this work. Yes, it is hard, strenuous, and really frustrating sometimes, but it is also very eye-opening and gives you insight into what it really means to grow up and live in South Africa.”
Rachel also spoke about her partnership with her former husband, Siya Kolisi, and their decision to use their platform for meaningful change.
“I think with great success comes great responsibility, and Siya and I had a conversation the night before the World Cup final in 2019. We wanted to see things change in South Africa and this massive success that we believed would happen the next day.” We sat down, we made a couple of points that we wanted to see change, and the next day I felt like this shift, almost like, ‘There’s that responsibility, go on and do what you said you’re going to do.’
Before establishing the Siya Kolisi Foundation, Rachel and Siya supported various causes, including library projects and stationery drives. “Obviously, now the impact we have with the organisation is far bigger and more sustainable.
Rachel also discussed the importance of talking to children about socioeconomic inequality. “When my children notice something—often on the drive to or from school—when they see that others’ situations are different from ours, we start a conversation. Just creating a dialogue is the most important thing.”
She believes that children need to be informed and empowered to have these conversations at school.”I think we underestimate the number of conversations that happen at school and how few children are exposed to the reality of South Africa. If children are informed, I think it would spread really far in a school system.”
In a deeply personal moment, Rachel opened up about her struggles with depression and how serving others helped her heal.
“Sometimes life is hard, and we don’t understand why certain things happen. Even if you believe God has put something on your heart that gives you purpose, challenges can sometimes steal that for a season. All through my life, I struggled with depression—severely as a teenager—to the point that I tried to commit suicide. I had a massive awakening through serving others, and in some ways, serving others has almost been a lifeline for me.”
“I truly believe that it’s one of the biggest privileges in our humanity. Every one of us has something implanted from God—it requires us to have empathy, to love, and to see people for where they are and what they might be going through. It’s a God-given gift to be able to serve.”
Rachel’s journey of turning pain into purpose serves as a powerful reminder of the impact of service—not just on those receiving help but also on those giving it.
