Young South Africans sail the

Young South Africans selected to be part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Stages at the Point Yacht Club in Durban, South Africa on the 24th of June 2013 ©Sabelo Mngoma/BackpagePix

Young South Africans sail the world as part of the Clipper Race

Fundraising for Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Hospital, eight South Africans aged between 18 and 23 will compete in the race, and learn leadership skills too.

Young South Africans sail the

Young South Africans selected to be part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Stages at the Point Yacht Club in Durban, South Africa on the 24th of June 2013 ©Sabelo Mngoma/BackpagePix

The eight South African participants in the Clipper Race arrived in London in July to begin training.

EIGHT young South Africans aged between 18 and 23 will have the opportunity to sail around the world, as part of a tag’ team in the eight separate legs of the 40,000 mile Clipper Round the World Race, which departs London on Sunday 1 September.

Backed by the Sapinda Rainbow project and Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund (NMCF), the journey is designed to provide young people with a change of environment and an opportunity to learn valuable skills. It is hoped that these young people, chosen for their proficiency in communication, both verbal and written, could become community leaders of the future, and they have participated in a stringent series of tasks designed to test these skills.

Out of thirty shortlisted candidates, only ten (eight sailors plus two reserves) could be chosen.

“We had an excellent group of young people here over the weekend and the selection process was very difficult for the judging team,” explained David Cusworth, manager of the Clipper Race crew and who was instrumental in deciding who would be picked. “We were looking for candidates who would benefit the most from the experience in terms of their personal development and the impact they could make on their communities after competing in the Clipper Race.”

The participation of the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital (NMCH) is also designed to raise awareness of it abroad and raise funds along the way. Mpaki Pule, who works for the NMCH said, “All the young people who participated this weekend demonstrated the strength of the youth of this country. The ones that have been selected to compete in the Clipper Race are exceptional. I hope this experience will help them achieve their full potential.”

Funded by the Sapinda Group, it is hoped that the adventure will serve as a catalyst for making positive change within communities, and to become an inspiration to their peers.

Pule thanked the Sapinda Group for helping to provide the chance of a lifetime, saying, â€œThis is a unique partnership and the opportunity it will give us to reach a global audience to support the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital project is another important dimension. I think it could make a huge contribution towards achieving Nelson Mandela’s legacy of a world class specialist medical facility for South Africa’s children. I would like to thank everyone who has made this possible, especially its sponsor, Sapinda Group.”

Founded in 1995, the Nelson Mandela’s Children’s Fund was set up to deal with the numbers of orphans and AIDS victims suffering in South Africa, where for every 1000 children born, approximately 54 will die.

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund strives to change the way society treats its children and youth. This long-term vision captures the central role society plays in shaping children’s lives. The fund introduced the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital Trust as a legacy project to provide world-class healthcare for all children of Southern Africa. The hospital will be a dedicated specialist hospital working on a referral basis — and no child will be turned away due to inability to pay. Currently in its planning and fundraising stage, the Hospital Trust aims to break ground later this year.

The team arrived in London on 26 July for an intensive training course, a little over a month before they begin their fundraising campaign for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital at the St Katherine’s Dock village.

The race will begin from Tower Bridge on 1 September.

clipper (Medium)

The participants are:

Leg 1 UK to Brazil: Siyaya Nomcebo

“The biggest challenge is I think a lot of people lack confidence and they don’t have the confidence to achieve their dreams. I think being away from home will be hard. I’ve never been away from home and this trip to Durban has been the first time. The weather on the race looks very challenging. I’ve never been that cold!”

From: Mtubatuba, Kwazulu Natal

Community Group: Rec Star 4 Life

 

Leg 2 Brazil to South Africa: Nokulunga Nkwanya

“I could teach people from my community everything I’ve learned through the Clipper Race. It will be a big challenge but I’m excited at the thought of being able to do it.”

From: Hluhluwe, Kwazulu Natal

Community Group: Rec Star 4 Life

 

Leg 3 South Africa to W Australia: Mbongiseni Oludlu

“As young people we are facing big challenges like peer pressure and teenage pregnancy. We don’t have enough good facilities like sports centres where we could expose our talents which is a big issue. I hope to inspire my community and show them dreams can come true. It’s my dream to come to Durban and then take part in the race.”

From: Johannesburg, Gauteng

Community Group: Diepsloot Youth Projects

 

Leg 4 W Australia to Sydney: Masibulele Liyaba

“My friends and parents believe in me and lots of people believe I can do it in my community. It will prove that even if you have done bad things in the past you can change and achieve good things.”

From: Orkney, North West

Community Group: Guidance Education Youth Project

 

Leg 5 Australia to  Singapore to China: Blessing Lethukuthula

“A lot of young people abuse drugs which is a big problem in our communities, people dropping out of school. Some people do not understand the importance of education. I think the biggest challenge in taking part will be adapting to the new situation and being out of my comfort zone.”

From: Springs, Gauteng

Community Group: Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund

 

Leg 6 China to San Francisco USA: Nqoba Mswazi

“My seamanship skills would improve a lot through the Clipper Race, without those skills you cannot sail a boat correctly. I enjoy helping new people find sailing while working for Sail Africa but I want to improve.”

From: Durban

Community Group: Sail Africa

 

Leg 7 San Francisco to New York USA: Mency Madolo

“Where I live there is nothing to do. So many people get into trouble. This would be a great opportunity for me to do something very different with my life.”

From: Mtubatuba, Kwazulu Natal

Community Group: Rec Star 4 Life

 

Leg 8 USA to Europe to UK: Lebalang Molobele

“When you dream something big there’s not a lot of people to support you. You have to go out and try and do it yourself. You go out and figure it out but it’s not easy as some people have more resources and help than you so some people get demotivated. The hardest part will be the weather and conditions. I think adjusting to conditions I’m not used to will be hard but I will adapt and learn how things work and about other people.”

From: Soweto, Gauteng

Community Group: Diepsloot Youth Projects

 

Reserves (There are two reserves who will do all the training with the rest of the team and watch the race start in London — They will be on standby in case there is any reason the main crew cannot participate)

Tshepo Shai
From: Tzaneen, Limpopo
Community Group: Huresic

Reserve
Lazarus Tshikovhi
From: Thohoyandou, Limpopo
Community Group: Thohoyandu Victim Empowerment Programme