Becky & Brandon from Morris to See recently spent time exploring the greater St Francis area and captured everything from our canals and coastline to Chokka, coffee and community spirit in their fun Beyond the Garden Route video.
So many locals are featured in the clip, including local restaurants, The Links, River Club, surf schools, the Brewery, Cape St Francis in all her glory, and so much more. It’s a very cool, inspiring little video for all to enjoy.
According to the YouTube blurb –
“St Francis Bay might not technically be on the Garden Route, but it’s one of the best hidden gems in South Africa! From epic seafood and bodyboarding lessons to canal cruises and calamari fishing, this laid-back beach town totally surprised us. As we make our way through South Africa—fresh off Kruger National Park and the Panorama Route—we’re kicking off our next big adventure in coastal paradise. In this video, we explore the top things to do in St Francis Bay, where to eat, stay, and explore over 4 unforgettable days. A HUGE thanks to the St Francis Tourism Board for hosting us in St Francis Bay!
Jeffreys Bay – Jeffreys Bay is getting a glow-up, one sweep at a time.
Since January 2025, a dynamic street cleaning initiative led by Kouga Local Municipality has been breathing fresh life into the town’s streets and sidewalks. With brooms in hand and boots on the ground, twelve dedicated workers – hired from within Kouga’s own communities – are on a year-long mission. This to keep Jeffreys Bay spotless and sparkling.
Local service provider, Infinity Landscaping, is driving the clean-up efforts, having secured the contract to carry out this bold beautification project.
The cleaning initiative covers a range of tasks. They include sweeping streets, trimming grass along sidewalks and in designated parks. Furthermore, clearing bulky waste like tree branches and unwanted furniture.
And the best part? Talks are already underway to roll out this winning formula to other towns across the municipality.
Who is behind the magic?
The team of twelve workers is split evenly between Jeffreys Bay’s two central business districts. CBD 1 (De Reyger Street, Schelde Street, Oosterland Street, Goede Hoop Street, Salamander Street, Drommedaris Street, Woltemade Street, St Croix Street, Duine Road). CBD 2 (Plane Street, Flame Crescent, Waterkant Street, Da Gama Road, Vriesland Street, Diaz Street, Ferreira Street). Six residents are assigned to each area. To ensure fair opportunities, only one person per household may be employed in each section. All workers must reside within the municipality.
The municipality keeps the gears turning by supplying refuse bags and herbicide. Infinity Landscaping ensures that safety never takes a back seat. From protective gear and warning signs to the right tools for every task. Thus this partnership is delivering results where it matters most.
“This initiative not only keeps our streets clean, but also uplifts Kouga’s urban environment, creates job opportunities, and ensures that residents enjoy well-maintained public spaces.” said Kouga Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman.
Kouga – At 39 years old, Ndumiso Nongcaula, and employee at Kouga Local Municipality, has achieved a significant academic milestone – earning his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Durban University of Technology.
His journey from Kokstad to his current role as Humansdorp Area Engineer: Electrical is a testament to perseverance and the relentless pursuit of knowledge.
“My dream was to become a soccer player,” Nongcaula recalls. “But that dream faded when I was 15, after I broke my leg during a match. That moment forced me to rethink my future.”
Although he did not study immediately after matriculating, Nongcaula’s career took him into local government. He worked in a factory in Johannesburg before he joined the Greater Kokstad Municipality. His path led him to Kouga Local Municipality in 2019, where he now oversees electrical operations and ensures electrical safety for workers, residents, and animals across the municipality, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
He began his MBA journey in 2022, with his research focused on the role of the electricity department in supporting sustainable municipal revenue — using Kouga Local Municipality as a case study.
The process came with challenges – particularly funding.
“There were moments when I wanted to give up,” he admits. “I had to pay a statistician to analyse my data because the university would not accept anything that was not verified. The financial strain was tough, but my research supervisor, Professor Govender, kept pushing me.”
Now, with his degree in hand, Nongcaula is filled with pride and gratitude. “I am overwhelmed with joy. This MBA is not just about me – it is about growth, about using knowledge to improve service delivery. That is why I have already started working on my PhD proposal to take this research even further.”
Despite his demanding career, Nongcaula remains deeply committed to his community as an ordained minister, spending his free time on evangelism and mentoring young men.
Looking ahead, his ambitions stretch far beyond his current role. “I see myself as Director General of CoGTA one day. That is my goal – to make a bigger impact on local government and ensure municipalities operate efficiently.”
No one really knows when Friday the 13th got its reputation, but like most superstitions, it crept in quietly, made itself at home, and refused to leave.
Let’s start with the number 13. It’s long been considered unlucky, partly because it follows 12, a number cultures have historically found comforting. There are 12 months in a year, 12 hours on a clock face, 12 gods of Olympus, and 12 apostles at the Last Supper (we’ll get back to them). Thirteen feels like a mistake. An afterthought. One too many.
Then there’s Friday. In many cultures, Friday has carried a whiff of misfortune. In Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Some versions of the Adam and Eve story say the fruit was eaten on a Friday. Even Chaucer, writing in the 14th century, claimed that bad things happen on Fridays. Though to be fair, most things were bad in the 14th century.
Tortured, murdered, deeply unlucky
The specific pairing of Friday and the 13th is a relatively modern invention. One popular theory ties it to Friday, October 13, 1307, when King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar. Many were tortured or executed. It was a deeply unlucky day for them, though they weren’t around to start the rumour.
The superstition gained cultural traction in the 19th and 20th centuries. Thomas Lawson’s 1907 novel, Friday the Thirteenth, told the story of a stockbroker who deliberately crashed the market on that day. Then came the mid-century trivia books, horror films with Jason and jamie, and newspaper columns that helped codify the date as one to dread.
Paraskevidekatriaphobia
The fear of Friday the 13th even has a name, paraskevidekatriaphobia, which sounds like a joke but isn’t. It’s estimated that millions of people avoid travel, big decisions, or even going to work on this day. Some businesses lose money as a result. Others profit handsomely.
What Could Go Wrong?
Despite its ominous reputation, there’s no hard evidence that more accidents or bad luck occur on Friday the 13th. But that’s hardly the point. Superstition doesn’t need proof, just a pattern and a story. And this one has both.
So, whether you avoid ladders, knock on wood, or scoff at the whole thing, Friday the 13th will keep arriving, just like this one. It’s nature’s justification that sometimes things suck, and sometimes they don’t, but Friday the 13th doesn’t actually care…
Johannesburg, South Africa – This year’s Park Lines BMX Tournament, the official 2025 BMX Freestyle South African Championships, took place over the weekend. The event, sanctioned by Cycling South Africa and UCI, was presented by LW Mag and Dragon Energy in association with Garmin, Balwin Properties, Insta360, Fox Racing and Mongoose. Vincent Leygonie reclaimed his title in the Pro Men’s category while Jenna Byrnes defended her title in the Pro Women’s category.
Park Lines BMX Tournament at Skylab
The competition took place at the newly built SkyLab Skatepark at the Joxi-X Adventure Park in Bryanston, Johannesburg. The park offered riders a variety of obstacles and line choices to showcase their skills in their bid to impress the judges through the qualifying rounds and the finals.
Riders from all over South Africa competed in the Amateur and Pro divisions. Judges took use-of-park, amplitude, execution, trick variety and difficulty into account when scoring the riders’ runs. The Proriders not only competed for South African rankings but also their share of the R36 500.00 prize purse. Also, Garmin Instinct 3 Smartwatches.The winner of Amateur division took home a new Mongoose BMX with the other podium finishers winning prizes from Fox Racing. The new Insta360 X5 360º action camera was up for grabs for the Best Trick award.
Through the qualifying rounds riders had two heats (45 seconds per heat for Amateurs and one minute for pros). Both runs counted towards their overall score.In the finals, againtwo heats, but with the best run counting as their overall score.
Amateur Division
The biggest division of the day saw new up-and-coming riders enter to compete. Also, some old faces made their return to competition. This adding to the development and growth of the sport locally. It was a treat to witness how the riders progressed throughout the day.Eight riders qualified into the finals where Park Lines’ new comers would claim the podium positions.
Cape Town’s Stefan Heynes impressed the judges with his array of tricks through the course to slot himself into 3rd place. Having learned Backflips just two days before the contest Heynes did a Backflip on the Box Jump to land his first in competition.
New to the sport of BMX Freestyle, Sinjin Carombaused his BMX Racing background to flow through the park with speed and style. He linked together transfers that no other rider in the division was doing.That paired with big 360’s, a Nac Nac and Tyre Grab over the big box earned him 2nd place.
Sinjin Carombag Eric Palmer
Sean Fulton made use of the full park and included tricks on almost every obstacle. His 360 over the box jump, Table Tops and Toboggan on the quarter pipes, Truck Driver over the big box, Turndown transfer and 360 over the spine put him ahead of his competitors to take 1st place. The win will see Fulton advance to the Pro Division next year.
Pro Division
Jenna Byrnes was the only female competing in the Pro Women’s category and still holds the record for the only female to land a Backflip in South Africa. In this year’s competition she showcased her progression by including a Backflip, Turndown, 360 and Barspin into her run to be crowned the 2025 South African champion.
The always exciting Pro Men’s category saw 15 riders competing for their chance of earningvaluable UCI points and official SA ranking by qualifying into the eight rider final.
Having qualified in 2nd place, Malcolm Peters took to the course in the finals but mistakes in both runs would see him finish in 5th place. Francois Bodenstien known for his technical tricks and use of park put in a good effort to finish in 4th place.
Nkosinathi Nkosi turned it up in the finals, utilising the full park with flowing and stylish runs. His tricks included a 360 Turndown over the big box, 360 Toboggan over the box, 360 over the spine, Fakie to 360 Cab andTurndown on the quarter pipe, which earned him 3rd place.
Making a statement in his first run in the finalsMorgan O’Kennedy put down a solid run makinguse of the full minute run with a 360 over the big box, Turndown over the box, Flair on the quarter pipe, 180 Barspin to 180 out on the box, Tuck No-Hander transfer, Tailwhip and Tuck No-Hander on the quarter pipes. The run scored enough points for 2nd place overall.
Looking to reclaim his South African Championship title, Vincent Leygonie went all-in in the finals. With a few mistakes in his first run it all came down to the final run of the day. Not letting the pressure get to him, Leygonie took to the course to lay down the best run of the day, landing tricks on every obstacle of the course.
The run-down of his tricks included a transfer Tuck No-Hander, Backflip Tuck No-Hander over the big box, Toboggan on the quarter pipe, Truck Driver to X-Up on the box, 360 Toboggan over the big box, Can Can on the quarter pipe, Truck Driver over the spine, Nac Nac transfer, Tailwhip on the quarter pipe, reverse 360 over the box, opposite Turndown on the quarter pipe and a Flair on the quarter pipe. The run scored the highest points of the day and saw Leygonie crowned the 2025 South African champion.
The day ended off with the Insta360 Best Trick Competition. This saw huge battle go down between Malcolm Peters and Vincent Leygonie for the bragging rights.Leygonie started it off with a CashRoll over the big box. Having landed it with a slight bobble, he spent the rest of the 30 minute jam session trying land it clean but was unsuccessful.In the closing minutesMalcom Peters landed a Backflip Double Tailwhip over the big box. It was a first for him, claiming the Best Trick of the day and the Insta360 X5 360º action camera prize.
Park Lines organiser, Ryan van der Spuy says, “This was the fifth edition of the Park Lines BMX Tournament. I’m extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish through this tournament. Over the years we have been able to provide a platform for local riders to showcase their skills. We created the official South African Championships, crowned champions, and produced South Africa’s first Olympian in this discipline. Now we have added our very own BMX focused park (SkyLab Skatepark) to the mix. This is a permanent fixture for riders to make use of as a training facility.
Stand-out factors from this year’s event were seeing new up-and-coming riders competing. Also, witnessing the camaraderie between the riders and the community. This adding to encouragementof progression and growth of BMX Freestyle in South Africa– a core focus of what Park Lines is about.
This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our event partners. Also, the riders that come out to compete and put it all on the line. A heart-felt thank you goes out to all of you!”
Matt McGillivray Gets Third in Newcastlle. The South Africa surfs in Heat 2 of the Quarterfinals at the Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest on June 8, 2025 at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. (Photo by Aaron Hughes/World Surf League)
JBay surfers and former Championship Tur competitor Matt McGillivray Gets Third in Newcastle in his first Challenger Series event of the year. It bodes well for his return to the Championship Tour coming up, and a good result in Durban at the ballito Pro should see him back on tour at the elite level
Matt McGillivray Gets Third
NEWCASTLE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 8: Matthew McGillivray of South Africa after surfing in Heat 2 of the Quarterfinals at the Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest on JUNE 8, 2025 at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. (Photo by Hannah Anderson/World Surf League)
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