Tuks’ young scrumhalf caps off a dream season with a special award
Seven years ago, as a young teenager and ball boy at the University of Cape Town, he dreamed of big-time rugby and this year Tuks' new scrumhalf was one of the stars of the team that enjoyed an exceptional season in 2026.
One of the outstanding stories from the recent Carlton Cup club rugby tournament is that of Akha Mjawule, Tuks’ small scrumhalf with the big heart.
After his team beat the Naka Bulls in the final last week, the first-year education student was named Player of the Tournament.
In the Varsity Cup semi-final against UJ, he was Player of the Match and he scored three tries in the Varsity Cup Tournament. He has achieved all of this in his first year playing for Tuks.
Mjawule is not wrong when he says his rugby career had come full circle on 16 February this year, when Tuks played UCT in Cape Town in the Varsity Cup Tournament. He first got introduced to Varsity Cup rugby in 2019. Not as a player, but as a ball boy. He was 14 at the time and he volunteered because he wanted to be close to the players and learn more by watching them play.
He never imagined that seven years later he would make his Varsity Cup debut on the same field.
Rugby wasn’t always Mjawule’s great love. Like most boys growing up in Khayelitsha, he played soccer. However, everything changed when a friend told him about the Connect Rugby Academy. He was later invited to join the Academy and it didn’t take him long to decide that rugby was the sport for him.
Photo: Reg Caldecott
No, he didn’t start playing scrumhalf straight away. Initially, he was a flanker. He must have done a good job because he was selected for the WP u.12B team. A year later he moved to scrumhalf and that same year, he was selected for the WP u.13 sevens team. After matriculating at SACS, the Bulls signed him to a three-year junior contract.
When Mjawule is asked what the do’s and don’ts of a good scrumhalf are and what he brings to a team when he plays for them, his answer is that the scrumhalf is the driver of the team.
“A good scrumhalf is the link between the front and back players. The one who dictates the tempo. I am the one who decides how quickly I have to clear the ball from a ruck or a maul. When to speed up the game in an effort to catch the opposition off guard and when to slow the play down. I think I am quite good at spotting the weaknesses in the opposition’s defence,” he remarked during an interview after his accolade as Carlton Cup Player of the season was announced.
As a scrumhalf, it is also important for Mjawule to be able to make quick decisions, like when to pass to the fly half, when to pop it to a crashing forward or when to kick for territory.
He may only weigh 74kg, but the big players shouldn’t think they are just going to run all over him. When it comes to defence, this small guy is rock-solid and he loves to go for the big hit.
“Rugby has definitely changed my life. Through rugby, I have the chance to study. I have seen places I never thought I would see. On top of that, I have met wonderful people. Friends who have given me new perspectives on how to think about life,” Mjawule testified about the influence of the game on his life.
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