Siya Kolisi brings star power and heart to Pick n Pay partnership aimed at community upliftment

The People’s Captain.

With song and dance, Springbok icon and skipper Siya Kolisi was welcomed back to Cape Town on Thursday as he was unveiled as the newest ambassador for retail giant Pick n Pay.

While it was not yet his official homecoming — the Sharks star is set to return to the Stormers at the end of the season — Kolisi still felt a deep sense of familiarity as hundreds of eager shoppers and staff gathered to greet him at Pick n Pay’s Waterfront and Constantia stores.

The latest collaboration builds on a long-standing relationship between Pick n Pay, its Feed the Nation Foundation, and the Kolisi Foundation. Over the past six years, the partnership has helped serve more than 19 million meals, reinforcing a shared commitment to long-term social impact and sustained community support.

“This is an exciting venture, but it is nothing new for me,” Kolisi said on Thursday.

“Pick n Pay has been in the country for a long time, doing work in the communities — those are the values we share. We are giving back to the people of South Africa, and I am hoping it is something that continues. The Pick n Pay Feed the Nation Foundation is also doing amazing work. My ultimate goal is to use the partnership for giving back.

“That reception I received at the Waterfront, I loved it. It was lekker and all natural. Wherever I go, people want to sing. It was pretty cool to be received like that. Being back in Cape Town is always special.”

Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers said Kolisi represents the pinnacle of a “can-do attitude” and embodies how individuals can overcome adversity, regardless of their circumstances.

He added that the Springbok captain is globally recognised — not only in South Africa — as one of the greatest sporting leaders of his generation, and that the retailer is privileged to have him as an ambassador.

“Siya has shown, with his great quality of humility, the extraordinary things one can achieve. The reaction he gets from people is contagious and so well deserved. The great thing with Siya is that he always has time for everybody.

“He stops for the smallest kid, signs whatever they need signed, and puts back into the sport. There are too many athletes today who are not prepared to put back into sport. Siya is just remarkable.

“We see this as a long-term partnership with him. Hopefully, he still has many years left in his rugby, and we have the World Cup next year in Australia. This will be a busy five months of rugby in 2026. However, there is also the human Siya Kolisi and the work that he is doing. He is committed to communities, and that work won’t stop once he hangs up his boots. This will be a partnership both pre- and post-retirement.”