Rachel Kolisi recently opened up about the challenges of creating stability for her children following major changes in their family life.
Kolisi was speaking on Saturday,16 May, during the Franschhoek Literary Festival, where she took part in a discussion following the screening of her documentary, Falling Forward.
The project accompanies her memoir, also titled Falling Forward.
Focus on family stability
In a video shared by News24, Kolisi said the past year had been difficult for her children.
“What was really important for me last year was to create stability for my children. In two years, they had moved five times, changed schools three times, been overseas twice, and moved house five times,” she said.
She said 2025 brought significant disruptions to the family and changes to the children’s daily routine.
“It was the most unstable, insane year of their lives, plus their parents got divorced on top of that. And so what was really important for me was to create stability, not just for my children, but for myself and for the people around me,” she said.
Keeping the Kolisi surname
Kolisi also addressed public interest in whether she would change her surname following her divorce from Siya Kolisi.
“And was a surname change desperately needed at the time? No. Will I do it eventually? I don’t know. Why the public is so intrigued about the surname, I have no idea. For now, I am Rachel Kolisi, and I am very proud to introduce myself as Rachel Kolisi,” she said.
She previously told 947 that she planned to keep the surname because it is shared by her children.
“My children share the same surname as me, and travelling with my children, because they are brown, is already a big challenge,” she said.
“Sometimes I get stopped at gates, and people want to double-check certain things, so it would be a really big challenge for me, so I’m keeping my surname,” she said.
Content supplied by KAYA 959.
