By Ken Borland
Utility forward Vincent Tshituka has now played two Tests for the Springboks, the games being almost exactly a year apart and both of them held at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, the official seat of the South African government and home of the president.
Tshituka made his international debut on July 5 2025 against Italy, the Springboks winning 42-24.
His second cap came in the recent 42-28 win over Scotland at the same venue.
The other similarity between the two games is that both of them took place at a time when the storm clouds of xenophobia had been gathering menacingly over SA.
In July 2025, severe hostility was being expressed against foreign nationals, with the Human Sciences Research Council and Afrobarometer publishing research which showed that between 42% and 73% of South Africans opposed immigration, due to their distrust of migrants, blaming them for the high unemployment rate, crime and the economic decline of the country.
And now a wave of protests and deadly unrest is sweeping across the country since the “deadline” of June 30 announced by anti-migrant groups for undocumented foreign nationals to leave SA.
More than 25,000 immigrants have fled the country in terror, returning to the African states they left due to a lack of hope and opportunity.
Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 1998, Tshituka arrived in SA with his parents and siblings as refugees from the second Congo war in 2002.
He attended Northcliff High School in Johannesburg, but his rugby career really took off at the University of Johannesburg.
He was chosen for Lions age-group teams from 2016 and he made his Super Rugby debut for the senior team in 2019.
An athletic, hard-hitting forward, Tshituka soon made waves, and within three years he had signed to join the star-studded Sharks, alongside Siya Kolisi and Eben Etzebeth.
He was also being spoken about for future national honours.
This was when his career hit an obstacle — he was not yet a South African citizen and so could not represent any of the national teams.
The department of home affairs, which oversees citizenship, has long been a shambles, and it was not until 2024 that Tshituka gained his residency.
Even then, he had to wait another year and the intervention of SA Rugby president Mark Alexander for the documents he needed to be eligible to play for the Springboks to arrive.
Tshituka, a devout man, spoke this week about how rugby has changed his life for the better, but he also expressed his sadness over how sections of South African society are treating refugees and asylum seekers who have arrived in the country like his family once did.
“The demonstrations didn’t create anxiety for me or my family, but they definitely caused us sorrow and pain. To see and witness these protests is sad, and it keeps recurring,” Tshituka told SportsBoom.co.za.
“You can see that there is a good intention behind some of the marches, at their root, but it always gets exaggerated and falls into a chaotic space, and then women, children and the elderly get hurt. It never brings solutions.
“Our lives all have different starting points, and no-one can choose where they begin their life; it never is your choice. What do you do with your situation?
“For example, someone like Siya Kolisi, he didn’t allow where he came from to dictate where he is today. Twenty years ago, he would have been written off.
“So your background does not dictate your intention, who you are as a person. You should be proud of where you come from; I am, but I am just as much South African as I am Congolese.
“South Africa is now more my home, and I am a very proud Springbok.
“My Springbok debut, wow! It was one of the best days of my life, an incredible moment for me and my family and all who supported me.
“Putting on the jersey for the first time, representing South Africa, and then singing the national anthem and spotting my family in the Loftus crowd is something I will never forget, one of the most special moments of my life.”
Tshituka’s return to the Springbok squad this year has also made the 27-year-old more aware of where his game needs to grow.
“When you come into an environment like this, it exposes where you fall short as a player.
“I’ve had time for some real reflection, and I know I want to be here, and I know the work required to stay here.
“I just need to continue grafting to be selected.
“It’s been a challenging season with the Sharks, but really good for me because I feel my game has grown immensely.
“The one area I really need to grow is my awareness. I’ve been really good at reacting to stuff on the field instead of being proactive. At this level, you need to be more proactive.
“I enjoy playing at number four, too. I’ve done my fair share of it with the Sharks. Obviously, it’s a completely new standard required to do it at the international level.
“There was a time when I was not so sure about playing lock, but now I wear that jersey with pride.
“Because there are so many quality players in the Springbok squad, selection gets harder, so naturally they will favour hybrid players because they can cover more than one position.
“As a player, you need to create some value for yourself, but you don’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none.
“A team can’t just have hybrids. But with such a high demand to get in the squad, you really have to be excellent and offer more value.”
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