Précis

If you’re a child growing up in South Africa’s Masiphumelele township, chances are you’ve seen the worst of violence – shootings, stabbings, assaults – or have been a victim yourself.

It kills them, it doesn’t give them any hope – and when you’re traumatised you have a lot of anger issues, you can’t control yourself - Noncedo, 19

But every afternoon a van rolls into Masiphumelele, offering kids the chance to escape the traumas of township life, if just for a few hours. Bodies and boards and wetsuits cram inside as they head for the rolling surf of the Cape coast.

Surfing is changing the lives of township kids. Every wave is a challenge to mind and body, a teacher of discipline and persistence and a potential spark to self esteem.

For me this is freedom. It gives me more hope than I ever had before – Noncedo

It’s all part of Waves for Change, brainchild of a travelling British surfer who first coaxed a few local kids into the water five years ago. Now it’s running across three townships with 250 children and 20 coaches.

Surfing has made me wise and made me stick to my values and to have principles for myself – Apish Tshetsha, first youngster to join Waves for Change, now one of its coaches

Waves for Change works on dry land too. Coaches are mentors, connecting with children and their schools, keeping tabs on their emotional health.

In this exquisitely filmed story, reporter Sally Sara gets inside the lives of the Waves for Change kids and follows them as they excitedly prepare for their first surfing tournament.

They hit the water in sight of Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s old prison during the apartheid era, a time of segregated beaches and “white feet for white sand”.

I’m feeling I’m gonna win! - Likho, 11

This will be the first time that Likho’s proud mum has seen him surf. She thinks he’ll win too, but she’s worried about the sharks.

Win or wipe-out, kids like Likho and Noncedo are scoring their own triumphs by the simple act of paddling out and catching a wave.

Underwater/Surf shots

Music

02:30

Aerial. Kids surfing

NONCEDO MABHUNU: It’s my favourite place. Being in the water, it makes me feel free. If you’ve got stress, the water can make you feel better. Catching wave, it gives you something strong,

02:39

Noncedo at home. Get up and grabs surfboard

the next day something that big is going to happen, your dreams are going to come true.

02:58

Noncedo walks carrying surfboard

Music

03:06

SALLY SARA: For 19 year old Noncedo Mabhunu, every day is a mission to stay positive.

NONCEDO MABHUNU: I’m a strong woman

03:13

and I’m glad that I’m a strong woman ‘cause I don’t give up easy in a lot of things.

03:22

SALLY SARA: Her love of surfing, helps to guide her through. The township of Masiphumelele is full of dangers and disappointments.

03:27

Noncedo 100%

NONCEDO MABHUNU: We’ve got gangsterism, drugs, alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy.

03:37

Masiphumelele town

SALLY SARA: This is one of the most violent and impoverished districts in South Africa. That’s why for Noncedo surfing is such a precious escape.

03:41

Noncedo surfing

NONCEDO MABHUNU: For me this is freedom. It gives me more hope

03:51

Noncedo 100%

than I ever had before.

03:57

Underwater/Surfing shot

Music

03:58

Cape Town GVs
[TITLE]: Freedom Riders
Cape Town, South Africa

04:04

Aerial. Surfer

04:15

Muizenberg train station. Super:
Reporter: Sally Sara

SALLY SARA: This is where the ocean meets the mountains of the Cape.

04:20

Man carrying surfboard across railway tracks/Surfers on beach

Muizenberg is a magnet for surfers, young and old. Here the face of South African surfing is being transformed. The waves of change are rolling in.

04:26

Music

04:37

Sara on beach to camera

SALLY SARA:  These days, Muizenberg is a fantastic example of how the racial divisions are disappearing on the beaches in South Africa. Everyone is welcome here.

04:42

Beach shots

Black South Africans, who have lived along the coast for generations, are now taking to the water. Surfing is changing the complexion of the beach and the lives of young people.

NONCEDO MABHUNU: As a

04:51

Noncedo 100%

black person you want to do a lot of things. When you see something great, you want to go and try it.

05:07

Coastal road. Waves for Change car

Music

05:13

Kids in Waves for Change bus

SALLY SARA: These kids are part of a pioneering surfing program, called Waves for Change. Every afternoon they leave the troubles of the township behind. They’re on their way to the beach and a few hours of freedom.

05:18

Sara in car with Apish

APISH TSHETSHA: [COACH, WAVES FOR CHANGE] When I’m driving down with the kids singing,

05:35

Apish.

it feels great. Like you know, we’re happy;

05:39

Kids on bus

we’re not worried about what’s happening in our community.

05:43

Music

05:46

Bus arrives at beach and put on wetsuits

SALLY SARA: Waves for Change was established in 2011. The program targets kids from the poorest parts of the Cape Flats. It not only teaches them to surf, but how to deal with life.

05:52

Kids arguing over surfboard

06:09

APISH TSHETSHA: It needs patience from people who

06:24

Apish 100%

are adults to work with them and to show them that there are so many ways in life, not just going their own way.

06:26

Apish with kids on beach

06:35

SALLY SARA: Apish Tshetsha is one of the surf coaches. He was the first young person from the townships

06:41

Apish standing on beach with surfboard

to become involved in Waves for Change.

APISH TSHETSHA: Surfing has made me

06:47

Apish 100%

wise and stick to my values, and to have principles for myself.

06:51

Kids carrying surfboards

SALLY SARA: Without this program, few of these kids could afford to surf. Everything is donated, from the bus, to the boards and the wetsuits.

06:57

Kids on the beach singing, and warming up for surf school

07:06

SALLY SARA: This is not just a surfing program. It’s all about making a connection with the kids.

APISH TSHETSHA: We are together. We are one. We are together.

07:26

Apish 100%

APISH TSHETSHA: We call it a check-up, and then just explore their feeling.

07:35

Kids at surf school check-up

We just want to work with them, knowing how they’re feeling at that moment.

07:40

Surf kid #1

SURF KID #1: Even when I am sick, I really want to go to school. But then my parents say I must stay home. So I obey them.

07:46

Surf kid #2

SURF KID #2: I’ve learnt that if I help my friend, I know he will help me in return.

07:58

Surf kid #3

SURF KID #3: When my mum asks me to do errands, I have a bath and do what I’m told.

08:07

Apish leads surf school

SALLY SARA: After the check-up, the surfing begins. It’s a big release for kids who have more energy than they know what to do with, and for those who are carrying

08:11

Boys surfing

worries and stress.

02:21

Music

08:24

SALLY SARA: Waves for Change was founded by a visiting English surfer,

08:39

Tim standing on beach with surfboard/Apish in water

Tim Conibear. He met Apish during a visit to the township, and started introducing the local kids to surfing.

08:43

Tim 100%

TIM CONIBEAR : [FOUNDER, WAVES FOR CHANGE] Yes, it grew from 2011 it was Apish and me and five kids in a car, and now it’s, yeah, it’s big actually. It’s across three townships in Cape Town. We reach about 250 kids a week and it employs, I think we’ve got 20 coaches on the books at the moment.

08:51

Kids eating lunch

It’s at the core of anything that we do, it’s making sure the local community can run it.

09:06

Tim 100%

I can’t do anything to change, you know, Masiphumelele or anything like that. But Noncedo,

07:17

Coaches smiling at camera

Apish and the other guys that they work with, they understand that they’ve got this kind of social capital with the kids, they can navigate the community.

09:22

Tim 100%

They know where it’s going, they know where it’s been.

09:29

ARCHIVAL. 1960s Apartheid South Africa. Surf footage.

Music

09:31

SALLY SARA: This place has a long history of haves and have-nots. Back in the 1960s, Muizenberg was the hub of South Africa’s surf scene. But not everyone was welcome.

09:37

‘Whites Only’ sign on beach

DR. GLEN THOMPSON: [SURF HISTORIAN] Most of the white beaches --

09:51

Glen 100%

or designated white beaches -- were where the better waves were. So of course the lure of going to surf good waves was there for many of the black surfers, specifically around here in the Western Cape.

09:52

Glen on beach with surfboard

SALLY SARA: Dr. Glen Thompson is a surf historian.

10:01

Glen surfing

He’s written extensively about the changing tides of politics on South Africa’s beaches.

DR. GLEN THOMPSON: Many black surfers, they pushed that envelope

10:06

Glen 100%

the whole time, you know, they crossed the line, they took the moments, they made it happen.

10:19

Archival. Apartheid South Africa surf and beach footage

SALLY SARA: White sand was reserved for white feet. The system known as Apartheid segregated almost every aspect of daily life, by race.

10:25

SALLY SARA: Black surfers could be beaten or arrested for disobeying the law. Special police were deployed to round them up.

10:36

Music

10:44

Beach GVs

SALLY SARA: Apartheid is long gone. But undoing its legacy is a gradual process.

10:50

DR. GLEN THOMPSON: Waves for Change is part of that groundswell of change at the beach. The fact that an NGO has taken on surfing,

10:57

as a means of doing social change and social transformation for black youth, is an indication of how far surfing has actually come.

11:05

Aerial. Surfers

Music

11:15

Tracking along Cape Town street

SALLY SARA: Cape Town is still one of the most racially segregated cities in South Africa. Many of the wealthy live on one side of the mountain, the poor on the other.

11:19

Kids on skateboards on road

Music

11:28

NONCEDO MABHUNU: I think there is freedom, but in an economic way,

11:56

Aerial. Houses

there is no freedom. We, as black people, are still struggling with financial problems.

11:59

Noncedo 100%

Our parents can’t, well, they are working, but they are earning small wages. They can’t take us to further education. Because there is freedom now, we can play sport that white people can play. We can do anything that white people can do, but then in economics we can’t.

12:06

Sara walks with Noncedo

SALLY SARA: “Do the people get frustrated?”

NONCEDO MABHUNU: “A lot, because without a job, we have got kids, living in a shack.”

SALLY SARA: “You go crazy, yeah?”

NONCEDO MABHUNU: “Yeah, you go crazy! Yeah, so you can’t do anything.”

12:26

Masiphumelele township GVs

Music

12:40

SALLY SARA: More than 30,000 people live here in the township of Masiphumelele. But there are few basic services, not even a police station. That means that kids are growing up in an environment where violence and trauma are widespread.

12:46

Noncedo

NONCEDO MABHUNU: It kills them. It doesn’t give them any hope, nothing at all. When you are traumatised you have a lot of anger issues, you can’t control yourself, you’ll be rude to other people, you’re selfish.

13:02

Noncedo at beach

SALLY SARA: Beneath the surface, Noncedo knows just how painful trauma can be. Three years ago she was raped by a family friend.

13:17

Noncedo 100%

NONCEDO MABHUNU: I was shocked, I was out of my mind. I couldn’t concentrate at school. I wanted to tell someone, but I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I kept it for a long time, and then I started telling my mum after a month that this had happened.

13:34

Noncedo at beach lying on surfboard

SALLY SARA: Noncedo shut herself away. She dropped out of the Waves for Change program and started failing at school.

NONCEDO MABHUNU: I felt ashamed

13:51

Noncedo 100%

a lot. I felt like a dirty person, that I can’t even wash myself any more. I felt like

14:04

Noncedo at beach

there’s no moving forward, and I thought that God has cursed my life, has cursed everything that’s happening to my family, especially me.

TIM CONIBEAR: [FOUNDER, WAVES FOR CHANGE] This is the problem,

14:12

Tim 100%

like we were trying to refer her for support and we didn’t really know where we could send her,

14:21

Super:
TIM CONIBEAR
Founder, Waves for Change

when something like this happens. And Noncedo’s story is by no means unique, unfortunately; it is really difficult.

14:26

Noncedo surfing

SALLY SARA: One of the first steps was to get her back in the water and back in the program. It was a rough start, but it worked.

NONCEDO MABHUNU: When I went back to surfing it was not the same. That’s what I told Tim, I was like catching waves, I always get angry when I’m catching a wave and I’m not catching it nicely.

14:32

Noncedo 100%

I’ll beat the surfboard, like no, no, no, not like this, do this. So it was not easy just to get through all of that. It took time for me to get used to that I’m coming back now and everything is like I’m starting over again.

14:52

Noncedo surfing

TIM CONIBEAR: So you’re trying to think, you know,

15:08

Tim 100%

what can we do? And it’s just a surfing program, what’s the depth that we can go to? And you do, you get really concerned. But obviously the presence of some caring adults at that really difficult time,

15:12

Surf wave

it’s a very small part in a much bigger picture of what she went through, but I’m very happy that she has found something through surfing and the rest of the community that’s helped her.

15:24

Masiphumelele GV

Music

15:34

TIM CONIBEAR: You know, we’d experience probably four really unfortunate events in our lifetime, so the death of a loved one,

15:40

Tim 100%

or something like that. In the townships here we have worked out it is anything from eight events to sixteen events every year that these kids go through.

15:45

School kids eat lunch and in playground

SALLY SARA: In some parts of the Cape Flats, almost half of the children have witnessed a stabbing, a third have witnessed a shooting, and many others have been threatened with a weapon.

TIM CONIBEAR: And it puts them in a state of hyper-vigilance and it really affects the way they behave. So they are constantly alert to what’s going on, they’re very

15:52

Tim 100%

desensitised to violence and it’s very difficult to regulate your emotions as well. So there’s all that anger

16:13

Boys standing in front of wall. ‘When I grow up’ painted on wall.

that comes out, and the kids behave very spontaneously.

16:17

Apish visits school

SALLY SARA: That’s why the surf coaches visit local schools every week. They work with the teachers to monitor the behaviour of kids who might be struggling.

16:22

APISH TSHETSHA: We talk to the teachers of those kids who are involved in the program. We also go to school, give feedback to the principal and the teachers. So it’s a great connection, because we get

16:36

Apish 100%

to hear different stories from different people about the kids.

16:47

Apish in classroom with Likho

SALLY SARA: 11 year old Likho has only been with the program for a few months, but he’s already full of determination.

16:50

APISH TSHETSHA: Even in the water he’s pushing himself to be the best surfer that he can be, because he’s seen me surfing and then he’ll be like, “I want to surf better than you!”

16:59

Likho walking home from school

Music

17:09

SALLY SARA: Likho is on his way home from school with some exciting news. He’s been chosen to compete in a special township surfing competition next weekend.

17:15

Music

17:25

APISH TSHETSHA: I chose him because he’s committed, he has respect. I mean, he challenges himself.

17:35

Apish 100%

He’s just a nice kid though. He deserved a chance.

17:42

Likho

Music

17:45

SALLY SARA: Are you excited for Likho?

17:49

Tim 100%

TIM CONIBEAR: Yeah, massively. It’s awesome. You know, if you think, if you just look at where he comes from, you look at his environment and you think well, look, you’re going to be surfing in front of some of the best surfers in South Africa, on a totally new coastline and, you know, he probably didn’t even think he could ride a surfboard a few weeks ago. So that’s... yeah, it’s awesome!

17:51

Likho at home with family

SALLY SARA: The good news has arrived home before Likho. His mum and the neighbours are excited he is going to represent the township.

18:08

SALLY SARA: “How proud are you of Likho?”

18:17

Mum and Likho

LIKHO’S MUM: “Oh, I am very proud and I’m very happy.”

18:20

SALLY SARA: “Why is that?”

18:23

LIKHO’S MUM: “Well, my son is a champ and I’ll now celebrate.”

SALLY SARA: Likho’s mum has never seen him surf, and worries about him going in the water.

SALLY SARA: “What did you think when Likho said to you, Mama, I want to do surfing?”

18:25

LIKHO’S MUM: “I was scared.”

SALLY SARA: “You were scared?”

LIKHO’S MUM: “Yes.”

SALLY SARA: “Why was that?”

LIKHO’S MUM: “Because he is surfing in the sea and there is a shark there!”

SALLY SARA: “There’s sharks,... you were worried?

18:42

So Likho is going to go in a competition on the weekend. What do you think about that?”

18:52

LIKHO’S MUM: “I’m going to be there!”

SALLY SARA: “You’re going to be there?”

LIKHO’S MUM: “Yes, I am proud.”

SALLY SARA: “Fantastic. Do you think he can win?”

LIKHO’S MUM: “I am sure.”

SALLY SARA: “You’re confident?”

LIKHO’S MUM: “Mm.”

[laughter]

18:58

SALLY SARA: “Likho, what do you think about going in the competition on the weekend? What are you thinking about?”

19:09

LIKHO: “Gonna win!”

SALLY SARA: “You’re gonna win?”

LIKHO: “Yes!”

19:13

SALLY SARA: “And how do you think you are going to win this competition?”

LIKHO: “Going to surf [demonstrating his style] up.”

19:16

Likho demonstrates his surf style

SALLY SARA: “Up? More power, up?” … “Looking good!”

19:24

Kids surfing

Music

19:33

SALLY SARA: The excitement is building. The young surfers from Waves for Change can’t wait to take on competitors from other townships around the Cape.

A lot of these kids

19:40

Sara to camera

live in tiny, one-room shacks in the township. So coming out here to the surf is one of the

19:50

Kids surfing

few chances they get to be alone, to have some personal space. And that’s why surfing gives them such a strong sense of freedom.

19:55

Coach and kid on beach encouraging surfer

The coaches are encouraging the kids to be the best they can be. Positive reinforcement is often lacking at home and school.

APISH TSHETSHA: It’s very hard to achieve in

20:04

Apish 100%

other environments. So even in the ocean it’s a new place for them, and then that person will take it back to the community, apply it to his lifestyle.

20:20

Apish surfing

NONCEDO MABHUNU: Apish as a coach is a great man.

20:31

Noncedo/Surfers

He’s really motivated me a lot and someday I want to be up there like him. I want to be the coach that will talk with the kids. I want to become that coach that the kid can trust and can share anything to me, so that I can help where I can help.

20:35

Sunrise

Music

20:54

Waves for Change bus on road

SALLY SARA: This is the day the kids have been waiting for. They’re on their way to the surfing contest on the other side of Cape Town.

21:01

Adult surfers

Music

21:09

Kids arrive at competition

21:17

APISH TSHETSHA : [COACH, WAVES FOR CHANGE] It’s their first, very, very first time

21:30

Apish 100%. Super:
APISH TSHETSHA
Coach, Waves for Change

entering a competition, and especially representing the community that we are from, the township in Masi. It puts us on the map, so that everyone can know, not only by bad stories, but by knowing that there is surfers from there as well.

21:32

Likho dancing around on beach

SALLY SARA: Likho hasn’t slept much; he’s so excited.

21:49

Likho’s mum at competition

His mum is here to see him in the water for the first time.

21:55

Likho 100%

LIKHO: I’m feeling like I’m gonna win. This wave, gonna catch. ‘Cause my culture is saying to me, ‘Gonna win this’. I can feel it.

21:59

Noncedo at competition

NONCEDO MABHUNU: We’ve got the white team, that’s Waves for Change, for sure. And then we’ve got blue team, yellow and pink. I think we’re going to win!

GIRL: Yeah, we’re going to win!

NONCEDO MABHUNU: Because I’m proud of our youngsters there!

22:09

Event organiser with megaphone

EVENT ORGANISER: In three, two, one! Let’s go!

22:22

Likho runs to water

Music

22:25

SALLY SARA: It’s time for Likho to take on the surf at Big Bay. The kids all need to catch a wave, paddle back in and tag their team mate.

22:35

Girls cheer Likho/ Surfers/Likho paddles

Music

22:48

SALLY SARA: He finds out, it’s harder than it looks.

23:03

Various shots of competition/Likho

Music

23:07

Event organiser with megaphone

EVENT ORGANISER: Six minutes left! Check!

23:37

Likho runs up beach

Music

23:41

SALLY SARA: His team doesn’t make the final, but there’s still lots to celebrate.

APISH TSHETSHA: He did everything right, but it’s just that

23:46

Apish

it’s not just a free surf, it’s a competition.

23:57

Kids on beach after competition/Surfers with Robben Island in b/g

SALLY SARA: This is the first time many of the kids have been to this part of Cape Town. It’s a special place. Just beyond the surf break, you can see Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

APISH TSHETSHA: I mean Nelson Mandela was there, he gave us freedom.

23:57

Apish

Someone said surfing is freedom, and today we just experienced that.

24:12

Rabia on beach eating orange

SALLY SARA: But beneath the excitement, reality is never far away. 13 year old Rabia is putting on a brave face. Last night, a robber broke into her shack and put a knife to her throat, just so he could steal a television.

24:18

Rabia 100%

RABIA: “Yeah, he had a long knife on him – a weapon. And they said ... they told me and my ma, if we make a sound, he was going to kill us. So, I was terrified.”

SALLY SARA: “How scary was that for you?”

RABIA: “Yeah. He was really, he was torturing us. Like he was torturing us. I did feel like I was going to cry. It was horrible.”

24:32

[shot continuous]

SALLY SARA: “How do you feel today, now that you are down at the beach?”

RABIA: “I feel good. I feel excited.”

25:03

Team sings

25:10

Apish

APISH TSHETSHA: We just need as elders to look after the young ones, and we need to look after the next generation to invest positive change. Because who is going to look after them when we are gone?

25:18

Kids surfing

SALLY SARA: The children are already learning to find their own way. As the Cape Town weather closes in, the going gets tougher. The kids are full of hope and determination.

25:30

Tim 100%

TIM CONIBEAR: It’s really important. I mean one of the biggest indicators of mental health and mental wellbeing is feelings of hope. So if you can ignite that and then you can support that, that’s really important.

25:49

Noncedo walks up beach carrying surfboard

SALLY SARA: Noncedo is leading by example. She’s now one of the coaches at Waves for Change. She wants to repay the encouragement and kindness she’s received from her surfing mentors.

NONCEDO MABHUNU: I hope for the future to become a social worker, to work with the kids, and

26:00

Noncedo 100%

also to become a pro surfer and travel!

26:17

Surfer spins on surfboard

SALLY SARA: In the space of a generation, young black South Africans have gone from being banned on many beaches, to taking on the world.

26:21

Noncedo 100%

SALLY SARA: Do you think you can reach your dreams?

NONCEDO MABHUNU: Someday I think I can. I want to.

26:36

Noncedo walking on beach to water carrying surfboard

And I hope that one day I will reach my dreams.

26:44

Music

26:48

Underwater shot

26:58

27:35