Kaya Malotana
Kayalethu Malotana (born 30 January 1976 in Lady Frere) is a South African former rugby union player, current coach & a Xhosa commentator in rugby. He was educated at Queen's College Boys' High School where he matriculated in 1994 and received honors for Rugby. He was the first black African player of his country to play for the Springboks at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Under his coaching career, he's coached the backline of the South African U20 Women's National team, the Lions and as of January 2020 was appointed as the head coach of the TUT Vikings.
| Birth name | Kayalethu Malotana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 30 January 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lady Frere, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Zoleka Malotana (m. 2012) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career
Debuting in Currie Cup for the Border Bulldogs, Malotana played his first Super Rugby season in 1999 for the Cats, currently Lions.
He played his only match for the Springboks against Spain in the 1999 Rugby World Cup, becoming the first black player to play in South Africa in this edition of the World Cup.[1]
He ended his career in the Pirates, from Johannesburg. Later, in 2007, he was appointed as Development Officer for the Lions, thanks also to his fluency in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and Tswana.[2]
In 2009, he became an assistant coach for the Lions, and in 2010, the backline coach of the South Africa women's Under-20 national team.[3] In January 2020, he was appointed as head coach of the TUT Vikings rugby team. He was once also a head of rugby at his former school, Queen's College.
He's also well-known for commentating in isiXhosa alongside former rugby player Lonwabo Mtimka on the SuperSport Rugby channel 201.
Test history
| No. | Opposition | Result (SA 1st) | Position | Tries | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  | 47–3 | Centre | 10 October 1999 | Murrayfield, Edinburgh |
See also
- List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 687
References
- Malotana in South Africa record book
- "Lions appoint new Development Officer". Archived from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2017-08-23.
- "SA Rugby women prepare for kazakhstan tour". Retrieved 5 May 2020.