ON Saturday, June 17, the world marked International Surfing Day, an annual event that celebrates surfing, one of the world’s oldest sports, while also encouraging others to dive into the sport.
It was also a moment of reflection for Durban resident Ntando Msibi who has now been surfing for more than a decade.
What makes the 26-year-old’s story that more compelling is he was living on the streets when he discovered surfing.
He is one of the many success stories from the non-profit organisation (NPO), Surfers, Not Street Children, which has helped empower hundreds of children living on the streets on to brighter futures by riding the waves.
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Ntando, who lived on the streets from the age of nine, until he was 14, first started out in the Umthombo Street Children, a surfing-empowered programme which would later become Surfers, Not Street Children.
“I used to beg between Point Road and the Musgrave area, and I’d sleep on the promenade. I’d pretty much survive on what little money people gave me, and I would buy glue to sniff. This helped calm me down. When I’d go down to the beach, I noticed surfers just having fun jumping into the water near the pier.
“I decided to ask around, and that’s when I discovered Umthombo. They had a programme to help young people living on the street, and for two years, I went through the programme. Initially, it was very hard, but as time went on, surfing became more than just a thing to learn; it became my drive, my passion. Surfing has completely transformed my life and opened up so many opportunities to me I would not have had,” he said.
So successful was Msibi’s transition to the water that he represented South Africa at two ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in 2016 and 2017.
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Msibi, now a mentor at Surfers, Not Street Children, said he aims to inspire other youngsters that they can achieve the impossible.
“Living on the street is not easy, and you are vulnerable to quite a few wrongs. I now use my story to empower and inspire young street children. Often when I walk home and I see street children, I stop them and speak to them about Surfers, Not Street Children and share my story with them,” the Musgrave resident said.
Msibi, who works at Durban Surf HQ, a surf shop on the Durban Promenade, says he enjoys a surf session every day.
“It has become more of a lifestyle now. I love surfing along Durban’s coast, but I’ve been fortunate enough to surf in J-Bay and Mozambique, as well. I’m not chasing any goals when it comes to representing South Africa; I’m just enjoying my surfing,” he said.
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