Siya Kolisi has penned a letter to the DHL Stormers and Western Province Rugby Union, saying his departure was not a goodbye but rather a “see you soon”.
Kolisi ended his 11-year stay with the Stormers and is expected to be unveiled by the Durban-based Sharks in the coming days.
TimesLIVE reported that the Western Province Rugby Union confirmed on Sunday they had released Kolisi early from his contract, which was due to expire at the end of October.
In the letter, Eleven Years: A Lifetime of gratitude, shared on Instagram, Kolisi paid tribute to the coaches he worked under in Cape Town, including Rassie Erasmus, Allister Coetzee, Robbie Fleck, and John Dobson.
“Each one of you took me under your wing and guided me through to the highest level, showing me what it meant to be a leader, on and off the field.
“I am forever indebted to you for offering me the opportunity to live out my dream. You have allowed little boys and girls across SA who look like me to believe that they too can be anything they put their mind too,” said Kolisi.
He also thanked Jean de Villiers, Schalk Burger, Bryan Habana, Andries Bekker, Juan de Jongh and Gio Aplon for being his teammates.
“It fills me with pride knowing that I was able to share the field with such huge names in the game. I was just in grade 8 when I was pictured asking Schalk for an autograph, today I stand humbled knowing that I got to call him my teammate,” said Kolisi.
He said Cape Town will always be his home but it was now time to “spread my wings”.
“For the younger boy from the township, now’s the time to spread my wings. Now is the time to seize opportunities and experience this lovely country we get to call home to its fullest.
“So DHL Stormers, Western Province, and the great people of Cape Town, this is not a goodbye, this is only a 'see you later'."
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