Nando’s and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi have teamed up on a limited-edition Siya Sauce, bringing garlic, citrus and a gentle smoky finish to restaurants across South Africa from 3 November 2026.
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The collaboration was unveiled at the opening of Nando’s new bespoke Stellenbosch restaurant on 31 October. Despite sharing its name with one of rugby’s toughest competitors, the sauce takes a mild approach, developed around Kolisi’s favourite flavours.
A sauce made for sharing
According to the launch announcement, the aim was to create something that South Africans with different tastes could enjoy together. Kolisi helped taste and develop the recipe, settling on a sauce he says he could eat every day, on almost anything.
“Developing this sauce was so much fun,” said Kolisi. “Nando’s has that South African spirit, and we got to explore local flavour while connecting with the people behind the process.”
The partnership also puts local creativity on the bottle. Pretoria-based illustrator Mpho Boshoga created the artwork, using his expressive, street-culture-inspired style to offer a fresh interpretation of the Springbok captain.
Local flavour, local creativity
Boshoga described the commission as a life-changing opportunity to bring his creativity into a project rooted in culture and community. His contribution continues the brand’s long association with South African artists, a connection explored in Known’s The Spirit of Nando’s Burns Bright Again.
Jessica Wheeler, Nando’s Chief Brand and Customer Officer, said the collaboration was designed to give people something new to discover around the festive-season table. The company says the sauce is available free in its restaurants.
A launch commercial brings together some of Kolisi’s real friends, including Siv Ngesi, Sobantu Nqayi, Ray Malo, Vafa Naraghi, Nina Hastie, Jam Jam and Anton Taylor. The film draws on the banter and rituals that come with sharing a meal. Watch the Siya Sauce launch advert.
Where to try Siya Sauce
The limited-edition Nando’s Siya Sauce is available exclusively in Nando’s restaurants nationwide while stocks last. Diners can ask for it in restaurant and decide for themselves what deserves the captain’s pick.
For Boshoga, the project brings an independent artist’s work into an everyday setting. His illustration gives the collaboration a visual identity as well as a flavour, extending the story beyond the sauce itself. In the launch announcement, he said he hoped people would enjoy the result as much as the team enjoyed making it.
The launch also draws on the brand’s South African roots. Nando’s began with a restaurant in Rosettenville in 1987, and its announcement places this collaboration within that history of food, art and shared experience. Readers can follow further updates on Nando’s South Africa’s Facebook page.
The mild profile is central to the idea: garlic and citrus lead, with smoke adding depth rather than an intense chilli kick. That makes the release an invitation to try a different flavour combination, whether a diner normally orders mild chicken or reaches for something hotter. Availability remains limited, so the announcement’s while-stocks-last condition applies.
For more restaurant news and dining discoveries, explore Known Magazine Africa’s food coverage.
Kolisi’s enthusiasm for the process extended beyond choosing a taste. “A few samples later, we landed on something I could eat every day, on pretty much everything. That was the one for me. It’s an incredible honour to have worked on this with Nando’s, and what I’m most excited about now is for people to taste it,” he said in the supplied announcement.
Boshoga said the invitation carried personal significance. “Nando’s has always had a unique way of bringing art and personality to the table, and this time they saw me. Being able to contribute to this new sauce with my talent, working alongside Nando’s and Siya Kolisi, is something I could only ever have dreamt of.”
Wheeler framed the launch around the festive season: “The festive season has a way of bringing us all to the same table, so we wanted to give South Africans something fun to discover when they got there. Siya is someone the whole country can agree on, and the sauce is much the same.” She added that the brand was looking forward to seeing what diners would put it on first.
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