Bok captain Kolisi, assistant coach Stick pay moving tribute to Ntunja: 'We will be thinking of him'

• Springbok captain Siya Kolisi alongside assistant coach Mzwandile Stick paid a moving tribute to late Xhosa commentator Kaunda Ntunja, who died this week last year.
• Kolisi said: "I don't think enough people understand how important he was for us."
• Stick hoped that the Boks would make Ntunja proud during the first Test against the British and Irish Lions on Saturday.

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi alongside assistant coach Mzwandile Stick paid a moving tribute to late Xhosa commentator Kaunda Ntunja, who died this week last year due to Covid-19-related illness.

Ntunja was an instrumental voice that introduced isiXhosa into mainstream broadcasting during his time as a SuperSport commentator.

His impact reached beyond the commentary booth and transcended the game, to where it has now become the norm for isiXhosa speakers to ask questions in their home language at Springbok press conferences.

This was the case when Kolisi and Stick were asked about the late former SA Schools captain on the eve of the first Test between the Springboks and the British and Irish Lions in Cape Town on Saturday (18:00 kick-off).

Kolisi said, as a player, hearing Ntunja's spine-tingling soliloquies in his home language moved him.

"When he spoke, you felt that he knew you. He knew the Siya Kolisi that came from Zwide and the struggles me and my parents went through," said Kolisi.

"He never sounded like someone I met yesterday, and he did thorough research. And when you watched those clips after the game, it really pierced your heart.

"And to hear him commentate in isiXhosa made us proud to be Xhosa. For the longest time, we couldn't speak isiXhosa. We were forced to speak broken English.

"But today, I'm a proud Xhosa person because of what he and Makhaya Jack did for us. I miss him."

Stick, who was Ntunja's close friend as well as co-commentator and rugby comrade, also paid tribute to the former Cheetahs and Border Bulldogs flank.

The Springbok skills coach said he hoped Kolisi and Co. would make Ntunja proud when they took to the field for what's expected to be an earth shattering first Test against Alun Wyn Jones' charges.

"Kaunda and I were very close," Stick said.

"We worked together commentating at SuperSport, and even when I was in Durban as a player, I played against him when he was at Jaguars Rugby Club.

"That's when we became close. Everyone who knows Xhosa commentary will always relate rugby with Kaunda's voice.

"He promoted the game to the people and debunked myths that rugby was the preserve of white people. He never accepted that and managed to introduce isiXhosa into rugby.

"He wanted people from townships to hear rugby in their own language.

"We remember his voice and his 'Shampompo, Shampizi, iintwezi hlwahlwazayo' sayings.

"He's sorely missed. Hopefully, these men can make him proud on Saturday."

Xhosa commentary began during the 2009 Lions tour to SA, with the first broadcast in the language happening in the tour game involving the visitors and the Southern Kings.

Kolisi said he hoped others would take up the baton Ntunja left behind and explore vernacular language commentary and other ways to impact the game if one could not play.

"I don't think enough people understand how important he was for us. Now that he's no longer here, we will be thinking of him before we get on the field," the Bok skipper added.

"For us players, he gave us meaning for us to go out and play well. When he spoke about us, it wasn't just about our rugby but our roots, pain and struggles we faced in life.

"We will carry on his legacy, and it would be great if others could pick up where he left off. Those who can't play rugby but want to get involved in the game could learn from Ntunja what it takes to become a top commentator.

"It isn't just about watching the game and talking about what you see in front of you. It's about relating to people and tracing their roots - that's what motivates people."