Rights Mkhari wins award as Boks players' Player of 2023

Rights Mkhari from Bungeni village was honoured with the Springbok Women Players’ Player of the Year award on Monday, 13 December, after receiving the most votes. This accomplishment marks a glorious chapter in Mkhari’s rugby career, establishing her as a prominent figure in both the women’s Springbok 15s and 7s squads.

The rugby community’s unwavering support solidified Mkhari’s remarkable achievement. “Winning the Players’ Player of the Year award is a blessing. Sometimes you don’t see how hard you have worked until someone tells you. It has not been an easy season for me, but I kept pushing because of my teammates,” she said.

Mkhari also clinched the 2022/23 Bulls Daisies Player of the Year award during an awards ceremony that was held at the Atterbury Theatre in Pretoria in August this year. Furthermore, Mkhari was the top points and try scorer for the South Africans in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in 2019. She attributes her success in sports to her grandmother, whose passion for boxing ignited her dream. “When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a TV in her bedroom, where she used to watch boxing. I could only see people punching each other and hear the voice of my grandma screaming with happiness and disappointment when the fighters were exchanging punches. I could feel the passion in her, wishing she could support the one she was cheering for,” she said.

Propelled by this dream, Mkhari explored various sports during her school years, with rugby eventually becoming the arena where she found a true sense of belonging. She said that her dedication to the sport of rugby persisted as she fulfilled her role of caring for her mother and siblings, considering them her utmost priority. “I never believed I was a good rugby player, but the passion my grandma had while watching boxing is the same passion that brought me to where I am today - to learn and become a better rugby player,” she said.

Date:21 December 2023

By: Thembi Siaga

Thembi Siaga started as an intern during 2021. He assisted with video photography and editing. He also produced numerous small documentaries, focusing on the Vhembe region and its people. Currently he works as a freelance journalist, covering stories in the Elim area.

Thembi studied at the Tshwane University of Technology, where he completed his diploma in Journalism in 2021.

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