From KFC to Surf Coach

From KFC to Surf Coach. The Real Story Behind The Cover Of Amaza Vol 2

There’s a hidden story behind the cover of AMAZA Vol 2.

The man you see sliding onto a clean Muizenberg face is Waves for Change co-founder Apish Tshetsha. Just 2 years ago Apish’s life was on a very different path, slipping between unemployment and stints as an expediter at the KFC branch in Fish Hoek. In 2011, if you ordered a Zinger Tower Burger, odds are it was put together by Apish.

How much has now changed.

In 2011, Apish volunteered his time to start recruiting kids into a surfing programme in Masiphumelele – his home. He walked the streets and chatted to local community members, finding kids he thought could use the help. Some were substance abusers, some lived alone, many had dropped out of school. Apish was, and still is, a proud member of Masiphumelele. In 2011, he decided to step up and make his mark.

Back then surfing had never existed in Masi. Apish couldn’t even swim. Waves for Change was very much an ideal, and idea, existing when we had the time to make it happen.

Again, today much has changed.

Apish is now the head coach of Waves for Change in Masiphumelele, working with 2 other coaches and a raft of local teenagers on a daily basis. Out in Khayelithsa, there are another 8 coaches, all trained by Apish and the W4C programme team, working with a small army of up and coming surfers from neglected and marginalised backgrounds.

“Surfing is freedom”. A cliche perhaps, but never more prescient than in the townships of South Africa.

AMAZA is now free to download from our website.
If you dig it, please consider joining our growing community of monthly donors. From just 50 ZAR per month (that’s a couple of coffee’s…) you can make a huge difference to our organisation.

Enjoy the magazine, tell your friends, and get behind Waves for Change today.

Share: