Samukelisiwe Cele: The South African surfer who is breaking with prejudices

Young South African woman Samukelisiwe Cele is breaking with prejudices by showing her country that black women are capable of excelling in surfing, a sport dominated by male, and often considered a whites only sport.

Samukelisiwe Cele has always been a huge fun of water sports: “I just loved water sports, I used to be a really good swimmer when I was in grade five or six to seven, I was a really good swimmer so I would stay in the water for like three hours and just not care” (Samukellisiwe).

She grew up in the coastal city of Durban (South Africa), a city considered a rotating plate for surfers in South Africa. She was introduced to surfing by an internationally renowned surfer, Jason Ribbink, whose company Bilt Surfboards, sponsors her.

In 2015, she became the first black South African woman to compete in a professional surfing event.
One of her current dreams is to surf an international event overseas, in order to live new experiences, and expand her network.

In a country where beaches were segregated during the apartheid era, Samukelisiwe has become a role model for black surfers. She’s helping remove prejudices that surfing is only for a specific ethnic group.

Source: Africanews

Author: Gova-Media