It didn’t take long for new kids on the block, Linsen Nambi Bunker Services, to find their sea legs. When the new ship owners heard that one of their employees will be representing South Africa at the upcoming World Waveski Titles in Spain, they quickly grabbed the opportunity to sponsor the entire South African team; “This speaks directly to the nationalisation spirit and agenda that we are pushing to the forefront” says Thuso Mhlambi, one of the directors of Linsen Nambi Bunker Services, “This is true,” added, Durand Naidoo, the Managing Director, “we are proud of the opportunity to not only support one of our staff for this great achievement to represent our country internationally but also to sponsor the entire team. We are a proudly South African company and are proud to sponsor a national team”.
Although Waveski Surfing is not considered a mainstream sport in South Africa, as one of the founding member countries, we have produced many world champions over the years and hopefully, this year will not be any different. All team members are current South African Champions in their respective age groups, and according to Linsen Nambi Operations Manager and team member, Dian Esterhuyse, “this team certainly has what it takes to bring some trophies home”.
For Durand Naidoo, getting involved in sponsoring this team, seems to be the natural thing to do, “we derive our livelihoods from the sea, why not give back? Being in the bunker business, we have a huge responsibility to protect our environment and keep our oceans clean, so this is very symbolic for us. We also believe in creating a happy working environment for all our employees and supporting them where we can, not only at work but in their personal lives as well”.
Ant Stott, 4 times Duzi canoe marathon winner, multiple world canoeing champion and current South African senior Waveski champion, will be the SA Waveski team captain for the upcoming event.