The Stormer who turned an anti-apartheid lawyer into a rugby fan
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Tighthead prop Sazi Sandi is on the cusp of a major career milestone – and he credits his late father for helping shape his journey.
The 27-year-old is set to earn his 50th cap for the Stormers when the franchise hosts Edinburgh at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
Sandi came off the bench during last weekend’s 29-21 win over the Dragons.
“It’s definitely special,” said Sandi, who made his Stormers debut in the Super Rugby Unlocked against the Cheetahs in 2020.
“It’s something I earmarked at the start of the season. So to get close to 50 for this team means a lot.”
It has not been an easy journey for the prop, as he needed to convince one of South Africa’s high-profile judges – his late father, Bonisile Sandi.
The anti-apartheid lawyer and High Court judge always insisted that Sazi and his two older brothers, Melisizwe and Buntu, prioritise academics.
“My dad didn’t see rugby as a career opportunity at first,” Sandi admitted.
“He was more focused on us growing up, getting into university, getting a degree, and getting a job.”
Bonisile, affectionately known as Judge Boni, died in 2017 at the age of 62.
He was one of the first black judges to be appointed to the High Court of South Africa, Eastern Cape Division and was one of the founding members of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (NADEL).
“He loved his job,” Sandi said, adding: “He was very influential in terms of talking to us about [career paths], however, he didn’t maybe understand the rugby landscape in the early 2000s.
“My brothers were good, especially my oldest brother. My dad was a bit reluctant, maybe because of a lack of knowledge about how things work and because it’s not like a career you can do for 40 years, as opposed to what he did.”
However, knowing he was going up against one of the most thorough lawyers of the 1980s, from a young age prop Sandi built a strong argument for his rugby career.
Attending St Andrew’s College in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), he made the cut for Grant Khomo Week at 16, followed by Craven Week and SA Schools.
“It became more of a reality that maybe this kid can do it, and my father could see that I was keen,” he recalled.
“My brother also got into chats with him, and he was excited that I was doing well. But he also needed more information about it.
“Then at the end of my matric year, we had to visit a few unions. We came down to the Stormers, got to Newlands, and my dad got to ask all the questions he wanted to ask. He was sold and very excited.
“And that’s when we sat down in his bedroom and mapped out everything. He said, ‘Well, how do you get to the top level?’ And we literally broke down each level, from U19 all the way up to the Springboks.
“That was quite a crucial moment for me because that was kind of my dad saying, go for it, and if you’re going to go for it, go for all of it.”
He added: “When I get the opportunity to play my 50th, it will be a great moment to look back at that story and say, ‘Dad, I’m still on my way.’”
