A first black rugby team coach at a former Model C school is rarer than a marijuana advert‚ which makes Mziwakhe Nkosi's ascension to the King Edward VII School top job this year an important one.
Having being failed by the system when he was at the University of Johannesburg under Hugo van As‚ the significance of his position is not lost on him.
“Black coaches understand where black kids come from‚" Nkosi said.
"You can't blame white coaches but by virtue of what the system is‚ they often battle to understand where black kids come from.
"You need black coaches to look after black kids. An example was how the careers of Andile Jho and Jan Serfontein panned out even though they were peers.
"No one would understand the lack of the important support base that afflicted a player like Andile‚” he said.
“One thing we also know is that you won't find a lot of black coaches at all-boys schools and I think it's just myself and Kennedy Tsimba.
"I know of Phiwe Nomlomo who is at the Southern Kings but he wasn't a head coach at Selborne College.
"It's massive thing to be in this position but you also need people to back you.
"It was important to have an experienced coach like my predecessor Carl Spilhaus to say I was the right man for the job.”
While his tenure is three games old‚ there's no bigger pressure than having to perform at your own Easter festival.
KES have to negotiate their way past Wynberg Boys High‚ Rondebosch and Kingswood College at their festival which starts on Thursday.
Nkosi may only be 27 but he's been deeply involved with rugby at KES from grade eight through to matric where he played alongside Scarra Ntubeni in 2009.
He was also part of the coaching staff that guided the Golden Lions Under-18 side to the 2016 Craven Week final at Kearsney College.
The Johannesburg-born Nkosi understands the expectations that come with his coaching position but the backing he has received from the school has put him in a good space.
“The backing has been massive but it has also been a case of being able to coach but also having to prove yourself.
"When your principles are solid‚ you can at least relax because you can focus on the job at hand.
"Often as a black coach‚ there's more to the game than just coaching.
"You have to prove yourself all the time and when you've got backing‚ the job becomes easier‚” Nkosi said.
“In coaching‚ age and experience are things that people look at.
"Gaining respect from your peers is difficult unless you work with them and you win.
"When some of my other peers see a young coach‚ they take you lightly and it's understandable because that's how most things work in life.”
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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