Ashwin Willemse has written a book. This is itself is no surprise. The surprise is that it took him so long.
Anyone who has been around South African rugby has known Willemse’s broad narrative, from local gangster to World Cup winner. It’s a compelling yarn, particularly as it is so removed from that of his rugby peers.
Drugs, murder, intimidation – these were the currencies of Willemse’s youth and it’s little wonder that the bulk of the book reflects on his time spent on the hard streets of the Boland. For him, life offered little beyond the graveyard in the valley or the prison on the hill.
Willemse grew up in a shack in his grandmother’s backyard and it was a hard scrabble early life. He saw an uncle bleed out and die after being attacked. He dealt in drugs and used them, doing crystal meth, ecstasy, dagga and mandrax; anything he could lay his hands on. His heroes were local gangsters, many of whom ended up dead or in jail.
Two themes emerge and both are sustained throughout the book. The first is the absence of his father, an absence that tore at Willemse throughout his life. It was finally resolved, but, predictably perhaps, in a tawdry, unsatisfactory manner.
The other is how insecurity was such a big part of Willemse’s make-up. He was a gangster and an emerging sportsman, but he was always wracked by self-doubt, even as he made his way to playing for South Africa. The irony is that Willemse now trades on his public profile, doing excellent work on SuperSport and conducting tons of speaking engagements.
Two years ago he spoke at the SA Rugby awards and blew guests away with a speech for the ages.
I’m proud to call him a pal and have nothing but admiration for how worldly and savvy he has become. My youngest daughter never saw him play, but he’s her favourite Springbok on account of his warm personality (and the mandatory hug he always gives her).
His is a story of redemption, but also reflects a miracle of sorts. He came close to being killed on occasion and even attempted suicide. But the intervention of good people, chiefly a rugby master, and an unusually acute self-awareness put him on the right track.
He somehow stayed relentlessly positive, determined not to follow the well-trodden path of so many of his gangster friends.
Willemse at his book launch on Monday.
His book is called How Rugby Changed My World, and it’s an apt title. Growing up, Monday to Friday was for drugs and gangs, Saturdays for rugby. Somehow he cleaned himself up and rocketed through the ranks, the unlikeliest hero to emerge from the bleak surrounds of Caledon.
Surprisingly, Willemse only skirts around his rugby triumphs and failures, so there’s something underwhelming about the denouement to his career, hastened by horrible injuries. He packed it all in at 27, way too soon, but doesn’t dwell on the reasons or the difficulty of doing so. He’s still only 34.
He’s done well out of business and been involved in a controversial BEE deal, but none of that’s in the book. Nor is there mention of his successful career as a television analyst, which is a curious omission.
At its heart the Willemse story is about overcoming great adversity and creating opportunity. There are parts that seem scarcely believable, particularly for a white boy who grew up in middle-class suburbia, but that’s what makes it such a gripping read.
* Willemse’s book is available at all Makro and CNA outlets nationwide, plus online at www.takealot.com