The City of Cape Town’s Recreation and Parks Department, in collaboration with Indigo Youth Movement and Outlangish, successfully hosted a skateboarding workshop for more than 50 young people from Langa. The workshop was a follow up to a pilot session the previous weekend at the Langa Indoor Sports Complex’s pump track. Read more below:
This past weekend’s workshop was held at the City Bowl Park and participants were selected from those who attended the initial session and demonstrated basic skating skills. It proved the demand for structured skateboarding sessions in the area, paving the way for a potential formalised programme that will continue to empower and engage young people through sport.
With professional skaters on hand to guide them, participants stepped on skateboards to flip, grind and pop.
The Indigo Youth Movement and Outlangish teams, who initiated the concept, provided free lessons, skateboards and an electrifying atmosphere.
The Langa Pump Track has become a vital recreational space for young people in the area and surrounds. While it is not a dedicated skateboarding facility, it provides an accessible and inclusive space for wheeled sports, including skateboarding. Many of the participants in this initiative were already attending programmes at the facility, making it a natural starting point for the engagement.
Recreation and Parks has been actively building relationships with external partners over the past five years, particularly focusing on youth development. This collaboration is the latest example of how the City continues to strengthen these partnerships.
The initiative was organised through a collaborative effort, with the Recreation and Parks team, not only recruiting local youth, but also providing them with development opportunities through structured training, mentorship and skill-building activities as part of the programme going forward.
Starting at the Langa Pump Track allowed the organisers to gauge interest and assess skill levels before moving to Phase 2 at City Bowl Park – a facility built to Olympic specifications for skateboarding training. This gave the young participants the opportunity to experience a professional-grade skateboarding environment, while still having the Langa Pump Track as a space they can regularly utilise closer to home.
Adding to the significance of this initiative, Dallas Oberholzer, a South African Olympic skateboarder, played a key role in guiding the youth and sharing his expertise, further enriching their experience in the sport.
‘The City is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for young people to develop confidence, learn new skills and build a sense of community. It’s inspiring to see how sport and recreation programmes can bring people together and open doors for the future,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Francine Higham.
This initiative has been made possible through funding from Ward 51, with the ward councillor actively involved. The funding covered transportation and refreshments for participants.
‘Providing recreational opportunities for our youth is a key priority. This initiative not only promotes an active lifestyle, but also offers young people a chance to develop confidence, discipline and new skills. I look forward to seeing this programme grow and having even more young skaters from Langa involved,’ said Ward Councillor Lwazi Pakade.
