Mokete Mokete and Thabo Mouti are street surfers from Johannesburg who inspired Frank Solomon, a surfer from Cape Town, to do more.
Johannesburg, South Africa – In July of this year, we shared the story of Frank Solomon, a surfer from Cape Town, and two street surfers, Mokete Mokete and Thabo Mouti from Johannesburg. Frank journeyed from Cape Town to Johannesburg to meet the famous street surfers.
On his trip, Frank learned about the daily lives these surfers live and how they collect thousands of plastic bottles each year, preventing them from ending up in landfill, or worse, the ocean.
Frank wanted to show the two street surfers, Mokete Mokete and Thabo Mouti, the connection between the work they do, and the work Frank does to protect the ocean from pollution.
To do so, he took them to Cape Town, to see the ocean and to teach them how to surf waves as well as the streets of Johannesburg. It was the first time both Mokete and Thabo saw the sea. Something they never imagined possible.
‘For anyone that has cruised the streets of Johannesburg, the site of the city’s ‘street surfers’ is as much a part of the landscape as is that of the high rise metropolitan skyline.
Frank Solomon, a big wave surfer and marine activist from Cape Town South Africa, travels to meet two exceptional men, Thabo and Mokete, who indirectly serve the environment through recycling as a means of income. This is the untold story of new friendships, shared experiences and common interest between individuals that are worlds apart.’
Since the documentary, Frank has wanted to do more for Thabo and Mokete, so he set up a crowdfund. The crowdfund’s aim is to uplift them out of the dire-poverty and give them a chance to relax a little more.
“I hope to raise some funds for Thabo and Mokete as they are doing such incredible work for our environment yet live in abject poverty. For many like Thabo and Mokete, becoming a street surfer was a decision born from necessity. With cold nights spent sleeping on the streets and exhausting long-distance walks across the city each day, it’s easy to understand why this work would be one of the last resorts. Despite the role they play in recycling city waste, street surfers are seen as a nuisance. While their services should be celebrated, the lives of Johannesburg’sstreet surfers are an uphill struggle.
I hope that with the money we can raise for them they will be able to live a better life and be role models for the community that they live in. I would like to cover their living costs. When I last saw them I asked how I could help and they said they need help with life:( I would like to look into opening an account with a retailer so that they can have access to food on a monthly basis. I would like to get them some decent clothes then set up a bank account and put the rest of the funds in there for them.
Reaching the target would literally change these two men’s lives.
I would like all the funds to be given to Thabo and Mokete I will personally fly up to Johannesburg and give them the money. The guys do not have bank accounts so it will be put into a Non Profit until it is time to give them the funds.” – Frank Solomon
If you would like to help Frank reach his crowdfunding goal, you can do so here. If you missed the documentary, watch it below.
STREET SURFERS from EYEFORCE on Vimeo.
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