Local’s ‘great escape’ puts her in the history books

Parkrand open water swimmer Portia Mokoena achieved her ‘great escape’ when she completed the Robben Island Crossing on March 7.

In her maiden ocean swim, the 42-year-old former St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls learner became the first black woman to finish the 7.4km distance from the iconic island to Blouberg after clocking 03:43:16.

She took part in the crossing after being awarded the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association (CLDSA) ambassadorship to get more swimmers of colour to take part in the event.

“When I was awarded the ambassadorship, I told myself I couldn’t back down because it was for a good cause I strongly supported and also supported by my foundation,” she said.

Portia Mokoena in the Atlantic Ocean during her crossing.

Beating the odds

Mokoena, an experienced open water swimmer, struggled to find suitable training facilities to thoroughly prepare for the crossing initially.

She was then introduced to the Benoni Open Water Swimming group led by Tommy Gibson at the CR Swart Dam in Rynfield. She said their distance swimming experience was a blessing in disguise.

“Tommy invited me and when I found out they were doing the 7.5km needed for the crossing, I was impressed. We swam early in the morning and the water gave us the current you expect in the ocean. They helped me build-up and prepare.”

Mokoena’s training also involved pool swimming for strength and bathing in cold water and ice baths, which were helpful in acclimatising to the cold temperature in the Atlantic Ocean.

The swim wasn’t a breeze and was made worse by her encounters with seals, dolphins and stings from jellyfish but she pushed herself because she was doing this for a good cause.

“The CLDSA gave us a task to attract and get more black swimmers to do the crossing. They thought if they had more swimmers of colour, which black people could identify with, they’ll be able to increase the numbers.”

She added she was also motivated by the history Robben Island as a prison for freedom fighters because she wondered if there were any escapees who made it successfully to shore, hence she called the crossing her great escape.

“I’m grateful to Tommy and his group for the warm welcome I received,” she said.

Giving back

Through her foundation, Swima le Portia, she gives nursery school children from Reiger Park, Windmill Park and Wattville free swimming and water safety lessons to create a love for aquatics in the townships.

She said the lack of infrastructure or continued closure of municipal pools was worrying, adding it was setting them back and making it impossible to assist.

“We can’t go to schools in areas like Vosloorus and Katlehong because there are no pools. There are pools in Boksburg but most of them are closed except for the one in Reiger Park. So infrastructure is setting us back,” said Mokoena.

Asked if she would attempt the False Bay Crossing, she said, “No more crossings for me. My job now is to recruit swimmers of colour to do the crossing”.

Who is Portia?

• She was born and bred in Vosloorus and attended St Dominic’s Catholic School for Girls until Grade 10. She then went to New Horizon College in Harrismith.

• She survived two drowning incidents at primary school – the first in the school pool and the other during an excursion in the ocean.

“After that, it dawned on me that I needed to know how to swim. My peers at school were able to do it and compete. I did relatively well and after school, I started doing open water swimming, mainly for health benefits,” Portia explained.

• The lesson she learnt during her crossing was that preparation is key and giving up is not an option.

• Her tips for anyone who wants to do open water swimming are to cover mileage in the pool first, create a rhythm in your stroke, prepare well and most importantly, start with short open water distances.

• Her advice for anyone who wants to try distance swimming is to “have fun and swim with heart”.

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