Rugby star with a yarmulke

NICOLA MILTZ

“I asked for a new kippah and I was given tzitzit, man I was excited!” said the tall, muscular eighth man who considers himself Jewish. The Christmas before he received a tallit.

The presents were given to him by his unofficial adoptive parents, Leyla and Kobie Smook of Dowerglen, who formed a close bond with Dayimani several years ago while he was at Jeppe Boys’ High School.

“As a border, he would come to us on weekends and during school holidays. One Pesach he came to stay and we provided him with kosher for Pesach food,” said Leyla who is Jewish.

The relationship developed over time and now Dayimani, who mostly resides with the Smooks, considers them his family, regularly WhatsApp-ing Leyla during the night to say he will be coming “home” late or telling her where he is.

“They are like my parents,” he says with affection and gratitude.

The 19-year-old rugby star in the making, who recently signed a contract extension with the Lions, has travelled a very long, often lonely and uncertain road to get to where he is today.

Born of a Xhosa mother, who is a sangoma, and a devout Nigerian Jewish father, Dayimani’s life story reads like an intricately woven Chinua Achebe novel. 

Not always happy, and splattered with tragedy and poverty, it starts off somewhere in a dusty, region of the Cape. It moves to an even poorer township in Cradock in the Eastern Cape where he lived with his grandmother and countless other children in a shack.

Seeing something great in the youngster, his grandmother sent him to the town school to get a better education. It was during these early primary school years that he realised he was gifted with athletic ability, speed and natural talent.

He watched Bryan Habana, one of his all-time rugby heroes, flying through the air during one of his many tries at the 2007 Rugby World Cup and grew to love watching the sport. He never knew then that rugby was in his stars.

When his grandmother could no longer afford the school fees, she contacted Dayimani’s father in Johannesburg who had since moved on with a new family, and told him his son was special.

Dayimani’s late father, a Sabbath-observing Nigerian businessman, claimed he was an Igbo Jew, a member of the Igbo people of Nigeria who practise a form of Judaism observing many of its core customs. 

He brought his son up to the City of Gold and enrolled him into his first big city school in Kibler Park, south of Johannesburg. This was a culture shock for the young boy who had grown up with no electricity or running water.

These were very difficult years for the young sportsman who started to show early promise on the athletics field. His speed and agility got him noticed and a spot at Hoërskool President.

His first lucky break came after shining at the Linden Easter Rugby Festival where he was spotted and snapped up by Jeppe Boys’ High who offered him a rugby scholarship.  Playing on Saturdays caused tensions in the house as Dayimani’s father didn’t want him doing this on Shabbos.

Dayimani represented the SA Schools team before winning gold for the SA Sevens at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

Only one year out of school, Dayimani is part of the Lions’ extended Super Rugby squad, and while he is not a regular starter in the Rugby Challenge, he is a noteworthy try scorer and this is thanks to his hard work ethic as well as his lightning quick speed and ball handling skills.

Under contract with the Lions he was sadly denied permission to represent South Africa at the Maccabiah this year, a trip to Israel being high up on his bucket list, he says.

Some of his career highlights so far include being part of the winning U19 Currie Cup team and making his Currie Cup debut this year. 

Said Dayimani: “It’s easy to get to the top, it’s another thing to stay on top. Always remember the wolf on the hill is not as hungry as the wolf climbing the hill. The underdog will always be working hard to catch up.”

This attitude coupled with positivity and a fierce determination to prove himself, will stand him in good stead, believes Leyla Smook who said he was very upset when he was not chosen for the U20 Junior Springbok team.

“These difficulties seem to make him stronger; he remains positive, never dwells on his past and has a phenomenal outlook on life.”

Dayimani lost his father to brain cancer during his matric finals last year, which dealt him a tremendous blow.

“Hardship has made me strong and has given me a hunger,” said the 1,89m and 99,6kg youngster.

He is grateful to the Smooks who pushed him to study hard during matric, paying for extra English lessons, being in contact with his teachers and helping him out financially. 

“My dream is to get to a point where I’m in the starting position in the Lions and to one day play for the Springboks.

His Lions U19 Currie Cup coach, Joey Mongalo, says Hacjivah has something special. “They talk about players who have the X factor, Hacjivah is one of those. He is an exceptional athlete and ball carrier, he gets around the field well and gets himself into good positions.

“He has a very calm demeanour and his quiet confidence in his own ability and the awareness of what he is able to do, allows others in the team to live out their confidence.”

“Hacjivah has more than enough talent to go all the way. It’s now all about character and whether he can pass the character test. How will he grow as a person, how will he deal with the fame and the money, how will he recover from injury, these things are important in a player going forward.

“If Hacjivah can align his talent with his character, his future will be a bright one.”