Parasurfers Para Surfing
Photo Credit: Roxy Davis Foundation

For the FIRST time, South Africa will be sending a team of 9 male and 5 female para surfers and 6 support team members to the World Para Surf Championships.

 

South Africa (25 September 2022) – Surfing is my medicine. It remains a privilege to share para surfing and surf therapy with thousands of surfers with disabilities and volunteers across the Western Cape through a formalised Para Surfing Programme that started in 2016. 

There are a particular group of surfers who, no matter their (dis)ability, come down to the beach, adapt, excel and have earned a spot at the World Para Surf Championships in Pismo Beach, California 4-11 December this year. 

For the FIRST time, South Africa will be sending a team of 9 male and 5 female para surfers and 6 support team members to the World Para Surf Championships. Each year the team grows in numbers, (dis)ability classifications and skills.

In 2020 the SA team came 6th out of 22 countries and brought home 4 medals. After missing 2021 (due to the Pandemic), team South Africa 2022 is eager to get out there and show the world their skills and win Para Surfing medals for South Africa!  

These are the incredible Para Surfers who are set to represent South Africa in California: Raemondo Lessing (WC), Noluthando Makalima (WC), Michele Macfarlane (WC), Caleb Swanepoel (WC), James Sinclair (KZN), Similo Dlamini (KZN), David Williams (KZN), Doug Hendrikz (KZN), Martin Ferreira (GP), Tracy McKay (KZN), Alulutho Tshoba (KZN), Oliver Sinclair (KZN), Asande Sibisi (KZN), Sabelo Ngema (KZN), Jean Paul Veaudry (EC).

The team will be accompanied and supported on the ground and in the water by five team coaches and a team physiotherapist from South Africa.

Our athletes have shown hard work, bravery and commitment and now have the opportunity to fly the South African flag proudly as they tackle the WORLD’S biggest para surfing competition. This group of diverse and differently-abled sportsmen and women proudly represent everything South Africa stands for.

That all said, team SA is still in need of assistance and funding support to get everyone to the World Para Surf Championships. The overall total needed to get the entire team to California is R1,019,000.

To date, we have already raised R680,724.65, and are now in need of raising a final R338,276 to ensure Raemondo Lessing and Noluthando Makalima (our two newest members to the Para Surfing team), as well as two team coaches and team physiotherapist, get to California. 

We have started a Backabuddy page which can be accessed here, however, there are various ways in which brands, companies and individual sponsors can assist the South Africa Para Surfing Team: 

  • Cover the costs for a specific athlete and their chaperone (an example of this would be to support team members such as Raemondo and Noluthando –brief bio’s below) 
  • Contribute to the South Africa Para Surfing Team as a whole – no amount is too small, and every little bit helps.
  • Contribute / sponsor specific expense items.
  • There are extensive opportunities for branding and exposure leading up to and during the Para Surfing World Championships for anyone that would be keen and able to get involved and support.

Sources: South Africa Para Surfing
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Brent Lindeque is the founder and editor in charge at Good Things Guy.

Recognised as one of the Mail and Guardian’s Top 200 Young South African’s as well as a Primedia LeadSA Hero, Brent is a change maker, thought leader, radio host, foodie, vlogger, writer and all round good guy.

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