Cheslin Kolbe has finally explained how rugby saved him from drugs and guns when he was growing up as a boy in South Africa. The talented Springboks winger grew up in Scottsville, Kraaifontein, an area well known for violence and drugs. Growing up in such an environment was tough for Cheslin and all the kids.
The easy thing for some youths would be to fall into drugs and guns, something that Cheslin thinks rugby saved him from. Today, Cheslin Kolbe is a Rugby World Cup winner and an international icon who inspires young kids. He also has a solid family, and his kids are now benefiting from his career, in environments totally different to Scottsville.
CHESLIN KOLBE SPEAKS OF HIS BACKGROUND, DRUGS AND GUNS
Speaking to Steven Kitshoff’s For the Love of Rugby South Africa podcast, Cheslin went down memory lane to his roots.
“If you ask anyone, the first thing that comes to mind is gangsterism, drugs, poverty. For me, it was the challenges, the things I’ve seen as a young kid that I had to overcome. You’d be playing touch or tag rugby in the street, and the next minute you’ll hear gunshots going off in broad daylight.” Kolbe said, speaking of his background.
“The way I look back at it now, that was the norm for us growing up in that environment, because that’s all we knew, that’s all we saw, and that’s what we got exposed to at quite a young age. But I wouldn’t change it for the world, to be honest. It’s made me mentally and personally much stronger as a human being,” he continued, appreciating his background and how it helped him mentally.
KOLBE WANTS TO GO BACK AND HELP YOUNG KIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA
As he continued speaking on the podcast, Cheslin expressed his love for and desire to return to help Kraaifontein. He also said he would even go beyond Kraaifontein and help the whole country.
“What inspires or challenges me more, for what the rugby has given me, is that escape from falling into the easy route of being a gangster, selling drugs or whatever the case might be, is just wanting to go back into not just my community but across South Africa, because there are so many other communities faced with similar challenges,” he said.
“I want to go back there and be a mentor, or inspire the young kids, to show them it doesn’t matter your circumstances or the challenges you’re going through.” Cheslin finished.