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A day at the beach was never a picnic for black South Africans under apartheid. A whites-only policy barred them from the safest beaches under patrol, and those who braved the wilder stretches did so not to bathe but survive – to fish, and they did that at their peril.

No more so than on an inhospitable stretch called the Wild Coast where many lives were lost and black communities grew to fear the sea. Now though a triumphant turnaround. Sally Sara has you postcard.

South African coastline

Sara: It’s a cauldron of surf, dangerous and unpredictable. The beautiful jagged edge of South Africa’s east coast, the Wild Coast.

21:30

Music

Sara: For decades black South Africans stayed away, some by choice, most by decree. The white sand was reserved for whites only. Apartheid stretched all the way to the sea.

21:46

Boys playing football

Music

Ncoyini

Ncoyini: When young boys come to the beach, young black boys especially come to the beach, they were chased away from the beach so they were not allowed to be at the beach at all.

22:07

Music

Sara: Bongile Ncoyini is 25. He grew up in this township of Port St Johns, a no frills paradise stifled by apartheid.

2:18

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People walking along coast

Sara: It was a childhood frequently interrupted by tragedy. Local lives were stolen by the waves. Those who ventured too close to the water in search of food were swept away.

22:38

It’s a memory which won’t fade.

Ncoyini: Most of the people who get drowned here are our brothers or sisters, our neighbours,

22:54

Ncoyini

our relatives, people we know, so I joined lifesaving because I wanted just to eliminate that number, to drop it to zero.

23:01

Young lifesavers run along beach

Music

Sara: It’s freedom which is so recent, it’s still fresh. A group of young black South Africans who revel on a beach which was forbidden territory under apartheid. They have overcome prejudice and their own fear of the sea to take control.

23:15

It’s one of South Africa’s few black lifesaving clubs.

23:35

They have made history and challenged the stereotypes that black South Africans don’t belong in the surf, all largely because of this man.

23:43

Sara: The founder of the lifesaving club, Khaya Mjo.

23:55

Mjo: And I said to myself, I think I should start introducing this lovely place to the people of this place.

Sara: Stubborn tradition was difficult to change. Khaya Mjo was faced with the challenge of enticing the young people of Port St Johns into the water.

Mjo: Everybody here was scared of this monster, the Wild Coast, the sea of this area.

24:06

Mjo

But I asked myself one question: these people were born here, they were born seeing the sea, they were born, you know, using this place for other cultural purposes.

24:24

Lifesavers training

Sara: When Khaya Mjo arrived here in 1986 he was on the run. He was an ANC activist fresh out of jail but still wanted by police.

24:37

Mjo: Pull, pull, pull, guys, pull.

Sara: He came here under an alias and decided to put the lessons he learned in jail into practice.

Mjo: That was a time South Africa was really, really feeling the pressure from the people of this country, and I happened to be part of that and I happened to be one of those that were kept in jail. And we learnt a lot by being there, probably that’s why I'm here today, it’s because of the teachings I’ve learnt from jail.

24:54

Mjo with boys

Sara: Khaya was introduced to lifesaving as a young boy. When he came to Port St Johns he started speaking at local schools about the need for a lifesaving club. Initially there was little interest. But very slowly the enthusiasm caught on.

25:12

Mjo: That is why today you see a number of them gathered here. They see the sea as something that’s a friend to human beings. They no more see a threat when they look at these waters.

Ndabeni in kayak

Sara: Now the sense of commitment perpetuates itself. Thomzamile Ndabeni is the captain of the lifesaving club. He’s a young trained teacher who has put his own career on hold to offer his services to the club.

25:40

Ndabeni

Ndabeni: I’m very happy to be the captain, it proved that I'm a good lifesaver. Most of the guys who are now qualified come under my training, you see that is why they trust me. I get a lot of trust from the guys.

25:57

Group singing/ ANC meeting

Sara: In Port St Johns the sense of collective pride is strong. Those who doggedly fought apartheid are now in power. It’s a vibrant place where the ANC enjoys vocal support.

26:22

Chanting

Sara: The mayor, Mbouyi O’ Mahoney says the lifesaving club has given many teenagers purpose and confidence. And in turn, it’s tamed the beaches for others.

Mahoney: For starters, they feel proud of the colours that they are wearing, they feel proud

Mahoney

that they can run into the sea in their rubber ducks and they can actually swim through to save lives, and so they, they feel that they have a meaning to community. They are appreciated. And that’s our youngsters.

26:53

Family at table

Sara: Despite the beauty and tranquillity of this place, it’s still one of the poorest parts of South Africa. There are few jobs for the families which live here. So the lifesavers and their seasonal earnings are vital.

27:18

The days spent patrolling the beach in summer help to provide food for the rest of the year.

27:31

Mjo

Mjo: The salaries that are paid to these lifeguards, each lifeguard you would find him helping or running lives of other ten people within the family.

27:37

Boys at dance

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Sara: The lifesavers of Port St Johns are flexing their freedom. They have pushed aside poverty and prejudice to create an energetic fraternity. Young people who have challenged tradition and when the sun rises and the swell rolls in, it’s back to work.

27:55

Coastline/flag

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Ncoyini

Ncoyini: It was one of my dreams, you know, to be on this beach and be a lifeguard on this beach with a number of other young guys from where I stay, from all around the place. It was my dream. So now my dream has come true, you know, because now we run this beach. We are in charge of everything that is going on this beach, you know, so it’s – I feel very great, very great.

28:32

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29:21

Credits -- Black Baywatch

Reporter: Sally Sara

Camera: Dave Martin

Editor: Greg Field

Research: Alison Rourke

Producers: Ian Altschwager

Steve Taylor