Durban — In a groundbreaking feat, a Grade 11 pupil who attends Durban High School was named captain of the South African Junior Surfing team and represented the country at the recent ISA World Junior Surfing Championships.
Ntokozo Maphumulo said by being elected captain, he felt a sense of pride in a sport that has been mostly represented by non-black people.
“It means a lot to me. I feel like I have a whole nation behind me. I have a lot of pressure on myself but I also have a lot of help and support to control that pressure and I’m grateful for that,” said Ntokozo.
He said his goals were to make the final and get into the top 4 in the world. Sadly, he said he did not get the result he was looking for and ended up losing the round 2 repo charge.
He said he felt excited and proud to represent his country and very honoured to be captain of the team.
“My love for surfing began in 2017 and I was influenced by one of my role models - South African surfer James Ribbink.”
Despite not making the finals, Ntokozo hopes that this is only the beginning and hopes to improve his performance in future competitions.
Ntokozo’s father, Sibonelo Mpanza, said: “I’m very proud of my son and his achievements in this sport. Sometimes I fear for him when the waves are big but I’m proud of him for being selected as captain of the South African surfing team.”
The championships took place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, between November 24 and December 3.
Overall, 45 teams competed in the U18 & U16 Boys and Girls divisions. Team South Africa finished 17th overall with a total of 3036 points. This also meant that they were the highest-ranked African country, with Sao Tome & Principe finishing 42nd.
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