A young man, who fled war-torn Congo on foot to look for freedom in Cape Town, South Africa, has undertaken to swim around Robben Island to raise funds for LifeLine Western Cape.
A young man, who fled war-torn Congo on foot to look for freedom in Cape Town, South Africa, has successfully completed his swim around Robben Island to raise funds for LifeLine Western Cape.
In 2012, Arafat Gatabazi, fled Congo on foot, travelling through 5 countries before arriving in South Africa. Finding safety and refuge in The Homestead local shelter, the young refugee decided to focus his energies on learning to swim and completing his dream of swimming from Robben Island to shore.
Not only did he accomplish this dream in less than 11 months, but also received the Swimmer of the Year award from the Cape Town Long Distance Swimming Association.
Realising he has a gift, Gatabazi has undertook to complete the swim around Robben Island in aid of raising funds for LifeLine Western Cape, in order to help them continue their heroic work of helping those in need.
The swim was over 10km long with the water temperature fluctuating between 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.
“Arafat Gatabazi is one inspiring young man,” says Jenna Hills, a member of the Marketing team at LifeLine Western Cape. “He wants to empower others who feel hopeless to find their way, and he believes LifeLine Western Cape can help by offering compassionate listening to anyone who calls.”
LifeLine Western Cape is an NGO and relies on donations in order to keep their lines open. The organisation is facing one of its most challenging years and desperately needs funds to ensure that their volunteer counsellors are able to be there for the community.
The talented swimmer was more than ready to swim Robben Island to bring awareness to this need.
“LifeLine normally receives phone calls from people in need of counselling. But now they are going to different places doing counselling‚ like going to Langa … so they need to take volunteers as well‚” said Gatabazi.
“This kind of swim is both mentally and physically (challenging). So‚ I have been doing quite a few long distance swims and also been training hard in the cold water to be able to focus mentally‚” he said
“I did my first Robben Island swim not only for me, I wanted to show the boys I lived with at the Homestead Street Children’s Home, that there was still hope for us to achieve bigger things in life – it was a lifetime accomplishment for me,” says Arafat.
“Since then swimming has changed the way I see things in life, impossible doesn’t stand in my way!”
Gatabazi successfully completed his swim on the 27 December 2016 and has managed to raise almost half of the funds towards his final goal. To help the talented swimmer achieve his target, click here.
If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need someone to talk to please don’t hesitate to contact LifeLine Western Cape on 021 461 1111 or Whatsapp call 063 709 2620 for free counselling. Last year, LifeLine Western Cape helped over 40,000 people in the community who were struggling with anxiety, depression, loneliness, or trauma through our dedicated lay counsellors.
However, many more of our neighbours are quietly suffering from societal pressures, work and academic stress, domestic violence, rape, and HIV, and we’re asking you to help us to throw a LifeLine to the thousands who still need our compassion and guidance through troubled waters.
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