In many ways, Cabous van der Westhuizen was the original ‘tarzan’ of South African rugby.
With his long, flowing hair – which was highly uncommon at that time – he became renowned as one of the most exciting and eye-catching players in South African rugby during his playing days in the 1990s.
“I was the only guy with long hair in those days. It became my trademark, so lots of people still recognise me for that,” he once commented.
After starting out his career with Transvaal, his prodigious talents were recognised by legendary former Natal coach Ian McIntosh, who persuaded him to move to Natal, where he spent seven seasons.
Van der Westhuizen would go on to establish himself as a cult hero of sorts at Kings Park, with his tremendous pace, trademark look and affable personality seeing him become a Natal icon over the better part of a decade.
In fact, when he retired just before the turn of the century, he held the Natal record for most tries in a career, namely 90 in 128 games, as well as most tries in a season, with 28 during the 1993 season.
The dynamic wing came extremely close to earning an official Springbok cap in 1994, but ultimately he would go on to feature in 11 tour matches during his career, just missing out on a Test appearance.
Cabous van der Westhuizen has blazed his own trail since retiring
After hanging up his boots, he spent a few years working as a sports and marketing manager at Mr Price, with that experience undoubtedly helping him as he went on to open up his own clothing business Pro Stuff.
Van der Westhuizen also went on to establish a couple of successful sushi restaurants in Durban, before then making a life-changing move.
During a trip to Mauritius in 2008, Van der Westhuizen and his wife fell in love with the country, and they subsequently have made the tropical island their home.
Setting up the Beachhouse restaurant and bar, it has become a renowned establishment in Grand Baie, while Van der Westhuizen also become a prominent figure in Mauritius as he undertook various outreach initiatives and contributed to kits and sponsorships for talented sports teams.
Van der Westhuizen is now also the brand ambassador and agent of Remax 24 in Mauritius.
“Cabous is working on numerous developments across the Island of Mauritius, including Balize which is a stone’s throw away from the beach,” their website explains.
Clearly continuing to find success in all he does, Cabous van der Westhuizen is undoubtedly one of the true legends of South African rugby, and just this last week also spent time with several current Springbok World Cup stars who have been on holiday in Mauritius.
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