by SFT | Sep 30, 2025 | Action Sports, SFPO
The 2025 Street Lines Skate Tournament turned Pretoria’s legendary Thrashers Skatepark into the heart of African skateboarding this past weekend, as over 80 of the continent’s top athletes went head-to-head in the Junior, Women’s, and Men’s divisions. Presented by LW Mag and Dragon Energy Drink, in association with Converse Cons, Garmin, Monster Products, Dickies, and Insta360, the event delivered an action-packed showcase of style and skill.
Fans witnessed Kimberley’s Boipelo Awuah cement her dominance with a record-breaking fifth consecutive win in the Women’s division, while Cape Town’s Marci Rodrigues clinched his first-ever Street Lines podium with an overall victory in the Men’s division.
Marci Rodrigues © Grant McLachlan
Street Lines has cemented its reputation as one of South Africa’s biggest skateboarding contests, raising the bar year after year – and 2025 was no exception. The country’s top skaters battled it out in the qualifying rounds, pushing their limits to secure their spot in the finals, and to compete for their share of the R60 000.00 prize purse, and Garmin Instinct 3 Smartwatches.
In the qualifying rounds, each skater was given two 45-second runs, with their best run counting toward the leaderboard. The finals format raised the intensity, combining two 45-second runs with four Best Trick attempts, where a skater’s highest-scoring run and top two tricks determined their overall score. Judges took consistency, difficulty, style, and use of park into account when narrowing the field to the 8 Women and 16 Men who advanced to the finals.
This year saw the introduction of the Junior Division, providing young, up-and-coming skaters with the opportunity to experience and compete in a professionally run contest. This addition further strengthened Street Lines’ core mission of developing and growing the sport in the country.
The Division delivered an exciting contest, with Sereno Khunyani emerging victorious in a tight contest, followed closely by Omphile Mashila in 2nd place and Ayanda Ndlovu securing 3rd.
The Women’s Division featured its largest entry to date, with 23 skaters competing in what became the closest and most competitive battle in the division’s history, also highlighting the significant growth and development of women’s skateboarding in South Africa, as athletes pushed their skills and style to new levels.
It was a close battle for 3rd place between Ashley Gindre (Johannesburg) and Sofia Neubold (Cape Town). Gindre stepped up her game this year, starting her runs by dropping in from the big Wall to Bank and including tricks like a Mellon Grab over the fun box, Boardslide to Fakie, 180 Transfer Mellon Grab and a Mellon Early Grab.
Neubold, making her Street Lines debut, impressed the judges with a series of tricks, including a big Ollie on the fun box, a Fakie 360 Cab on the pyramid hip, Backside Boardslide to Fakie on the ground rail, Backside 180 on the pyramid hip and Fakie Boardslide on the slappy to edge out Gindre for 3rd place.
Sofia Neubold © Grant Mclachlan
No stranger to Street Lines, Thabiso Mashiyakgomo (Johannesburg) delivered her best performance to date. Good use-of-park and a trick list that included a Backside Boardslide on the A-Frame rail, Backside Boardslide to Fakie and a Frontside Boardslide on the ground rail, a 50-50 on the box, and a big 180 Ollie on the quarter pipe secured her the 2nd place finish.
It wasn’t an easy ride for Boipelo Awuah (Kimberley) at this year’s tournament, but her technicality carried her to a fifth Street Lines victory, keeping her undefeated. Her standout tricks included a Boardslide on the pyramid down rail, Noseslide on the floor box, Switch Boardslide on the ground rail, Switch Backside Boardslide on the A-Frame rail and a Backside Feeble on the A-Frame rail, cementing her dominance in the Women’s Division.
The premier Men’s Division proved to be the most hotly contested to date, as the 16 qualified skaters pushed their limits, vying for podium positions and keeping the judges on their toes throughout the competition. The podium would see a clean sweep from the Cape Town competitors.
Ethan Cairns (Cape Town), a familiar name on the Street Lines podium, secured yet another spot by taking home 3rd place. His trick list includes a Noseblunt on the pyramid rail, Backside Lipslide on the pyramid down rail, a 50 Grind, Backside Smith and 270 Lisplide on the A-Frame rail, Hurricane on the pyramid down rail, and a transfer over the pyramid to Lipslide down the flatbar rail.
An on form Ashton Banwell (Cape Town) delivered a stacked run that include a Backside Lipslide on the pyramid down rail, Fakie 360 over the pyramid hip, Backside 50-50 and Backside Bluntslide on the ground rail, 180 Nosegrind and Tailslide Flip out to fakie on the floor box, Bluntslide on the hubba rail and a Frontside 180 Nosegrind on the hubba box to claim 2nd place.
Ashton Bramwell © Grant Mclachlan
Marci Rodrigues (Cape Town) put it all together in a standout performance, impressing the judges with his Kickflip Backside Lipslide on the pyramid flatbar, a Backside Flip over the pyramid, Kickflip Backside Tailslide in pyramid flatbar and a Kickflip Frontside Bluntslide on A-Fame rail to secure his first-ever Street Lines victory.
The day concluded with the Insat360 Best Trick contest, where a host of competing skaters participated in a jam session down the stair set, featuring rails and hubbas. The competition came down to Brian Hartlell’s Hardflip to Lateflip and Ashton Banwell’s Fakie Half Cab Nosegrind Bigspin Heelflip Out – with Banwell taking the win and walking away with an Insta360 X4 360º action camera.
“Street Lines 2025 has once again proven why it’s the premier skateboarding event in South Africa,” said Ryan van der Spuy, organiser of Street Lines.
“We witnessed incredible talent across all divisions, from the juniors making their mark to seasoned pros pushing the limits. Seeing athletes like Boipelo Awuah remain undefeated and Marci Rodrigues claim his first win is inspiring, and it’s a testament to the growth of skateboarding in our country. We’re proud to provide a platform for both emerging and established skaters to showcase their passion and take South African skateboarding to the next level.”
2025 Street Lines Skate Tournament Results
Juniors
1st Sereno Kunyani – 188 Points
2nd Omphile Mashila – 184
3rd Ayanda Ndlovu – 179
4th Mahau Mothisi – 178
5th Thendo Masinga – 161
6th Molemo Botho – 159
7th Luyanda Vukapi – 156
8th Ronewa Mudau – 138
9th Kamogelo Mokhelo – 115
10th Xian du Preez – 113
11th David Motala – 105
12th Mateyo du Preez – 86
Women
1st Biopelo Awuah – 330 Points
2nd Thabiso Mashiyakgomo – 292
3rd Sofia Neubold – 269
4th Ashley Gindre – 262
5th Karina Naldrett – 188
6th Mmabatho Kekana – 148
7th Daniele Pan – 128
8th Rebecca Wyborn – 26
Men
1st Marci Rodriques – Points 596
2nd Ashton Banwell – 578
3rd Ethan Cairns – 574
4th Brad Ballie – 561
5th Jean-Marc Johannes – 548
6th Puddy Zwennis – 541
7th Siye Matshalilange – 520
8th Thalente Biyela – 520
9th Saeed Waggie – 518
10th Byron Rhoda – 461
11th Sheldon Els – 427
12th Matt Cilliers – 370
13th Calvin Kotze – 332
14th Terrence Khumalo – 331
15th Blue Nkomonde – 239
16th Chris Nderitu – 62
Best Trick:
Ashton Banwell – Fakie Half Cab Nosegrind Bigspin Heelflip Out
#StreetLines
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Distributed by Truth Collective
e. craig@truthcollective.co.za
by SFT | Sep 1, 2025 | SFPO, St Francis
2 September 2025
The St Francis Property Owners Association NPC (SRA) would like to advise the public to stay away from the Laura Road Construction Site. It is a working construction site, and the contractor and site manager have expressed concerns about public parking on the road, which sometimes hinders access for construction vehicles, as well as the dangers of members of the public walking onto the site.
The site features heavy machinery operating throughout the day, which poses a considerable risk to members of the public who inadvertently enter the construction site. So, please be advised to stay away from the Laura Road site as much as possible.
A perfect vantage point to witness the progress of the groyne construction is the expansive Anne Avenue car park. We suggest that members of the public use this location as a viewing spot.
Members of the public are also respectfully requested not to interrupt contractors or workers on site with questions about the project while construction is in progress, as their attention is required on the work at hand. All queries should instead be directed to Lyn Aitken at the SFPO, using the contact details provided below.
Stay Informed
Further details, updates, and progress reports can be found on the St Francis Property Owners Association website under the NEWS tab.
SFPO NPC Contact:
Lyn Aitken – Administration Manager Phone: 042 294 0594 Email: info@sfpo.co.za Office Address: 9 Philippa Place, St Francis Bay
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Further Reading:
Work Has Begun On The Groyne At The Bottom Of Laura Road
The Spit Is Officially Closed To Members Of The Public
Dredging Pipes In Ski Canal
Baseline Environmental Monitoring Underway for the LTCPS
Kromme River Dredging Pipe Placement Update
The Spit Is Officially Closed To Members Of The Public
by SFT | Aug 8, 2024 | SFPO
St Francis Bay Groyne Project Update – a regular column where we dig a little deeper into what is happening with the groyne field project in St Francis Bay.
Our second column consists of further questions for Wayne Furphy, the Chairperson of the St Francis Property Owners Association and the SFPO Nonprofit Company.
There are five phases in total identified for the long-term coastal protection scheme. We understand that work will start with phases 1 and 2. When do you think phases 1 and 2 will be finished?
Phases 1 and 2 include three groynes. The construction of the first three groynes and the nourishment of the beaches on the Spit and Main Beach is expected to take 14 months. Construction of the groynes will commence first and should be finished within the first 3-6 months, whereas the sand nourishment will commence later, take longer and will be completed within the 14 months contract period.
Where will the first groyne be positioned?
The first groyne will be positioned at the northern end of the Spit at the river mouth. The Environmental Authorisation specifies the order in which the groynes are constructed and the beach areas nourished with sand. Hence the phases 1 to 5, shown on the groyne field diagram.
Where is the sand going to come from?
The sand will come from the Kromme River. The areas from which sand will be taken have been identified. This required extensive environmental investigation and surveying the river, sampling and comparing the sand sample in the river to the sand found on the beach to ensure they are of a similar granular size.
How is that sand going to be transported to the beaches?
The contractors bidding for this project will propose how they will transport the sand from the river to the beach. The most likely method will be dredging the sand from the river onto the beach. We are inviting contractors to offer other alternatives if they are cheaper and quicker.
See Wayne’s first interview here – Furphy Interview
See also: St Francis Property Owners Association
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