Rugby Africa Appoints Dr. Adisha Bholah as Women’s Rugby Manager and Wassim Saadallah as Management Assistant

CAPE TOWN, South Africa–

The appointments form part of Rugby Africa’s ongoing implementation of itsStrategic Plan 2023–2027, which prioritises the growth of women’s and girls’ rugby, stronger governance structures, and improved support systems for Member Unions across Africa.

A Mauritius native, Dr. Adisha Bholah joins Rugby Africa as Women’s Rugby Manager, bringing extensive experience in rugby administration, sports governance, and player welfare. A former Chief Medical Officer of Mauritius Rugby, she has also served as a member of the World Rugby Player Welfare Committee and Rugby Africa Safeguarding Committee, contributing to global discussions on athlete safety and player welfare. Dr. Bholah also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA), complementing her medical expertise with strategic leadership and sports management experience.

In her new role, Dr. Bholah will lead the development and implementation of Rugby Africa’s continental strategy for women’s and girls’ rugby across all formats, including sevens, fifteens and youth pathways. Working closely with Member Unions, Rugby Africa governing bodies and international partners, Dr. Bholah will support the growth of participation, strengthen domestic competition structures and advance leadership opportunities for women within rugby across Africa.

Rugby Africa has appointed Tunisian national Wassim Saadallah as Rugby Africa Management Assistant, a role focused on strengthening the organisation’s administrative and operational capacity while supporting General Manager, Maha Zaoui.

Saadallah brings significant experience in sports administration, event management and strategic communication. He previously worked with theTunisian Rugby Federation, contributing to the organisation of major events including theRugby Africa Sevens Cup 2008.

He has also served as a strategic manager and communications planner withDeveloping Sport Consulting, where he supported the design and delivery of international sporting events and developed communication strategies for organisations includingSuperSport, CTN, ONTT and I2 Télécom.

Through these appointments, Rugby Africa continues to advance its mission ofinnovating, inspiring and engaging new audiences to grow rugby across Africa, while strengthening the structures that support the long-term development of the game across the continent.