Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. There, they slide and skid down the slopes on boards, forgetting for a while the hard streets where crime ensnares many young men.
“This is my boy,” said 13-year-old Brendan van Maasdorp, affectionately gesturing to his sand board. He started surfing the dunes seven months ago and said it is the highlight of his week.
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, sandboarder boys walk on a dune at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
Sandboarding is an escape from the often treacherous environment in Atlantis, whose difficult history dates to South Africa’s era of white minority rule. Most inhabitants are of mixed race and they or their parents and older relatives were forcibly relocated by the apartheid government from District Six, a central neighborhood in Cape Town, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the south.
Despite significant economic progress, South Africa continues to struggle with poverty and unemployment since its first all-race elections in 1994.
The sandboarding initiative in Atlantis was conceived by instructor Derek Bredenkamp after children asked if they could join the fun two years ago while he taught patrons of his company, Mamba Sandboarding. The boys wear helmets while sandboarding, which is similar to snowboarding, although occasionally a boy ignores the rule to use protective head gear.
“Atlantis is historically almost a dumping ground for people,” said Bredenkamp, known as “Uncle Derek” to the boys.
In Atlantis, he said, it is “difficult to find work, and with that come all the social ills of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, women abuse and that whole sad, sick environment that these poor kids have to grow up in.”
Members of the Atlantis Sandboarding Club range from 10 to 15 years old and are picked up for sandboarding on Friday afternoons from their homes in Neptune’s Castle, an area of Atlantis. The pristine dunes contrast with the cramped rooms and graffiti-covered buildings where the children live. Gang names are scrawled on the walls of an area adjacent to high-rise apartment complexes where rival gangs have sometimes exchanged gunfire.
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, people stand next to a wall with the letters 26 written, referring to a local gang in Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, two girls stand as a South African Police truck drives through Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, children play near broken windows in the well known gang area of Atlantis on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, children play soccer at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
The biggest gangs in the area are called the “26s” and the “28s,” part of a broad network of “number gangs” that are active in South Africa’s prisons and get money from theft and the drug trade.
Sandboarder Tyrese Hugo, 15, said he has witnessed gang shootings in Neptune’s Castle. Playing on the dunes is a welcome reprieve from neighborhood fears, he said.
Another Atlantis sandboarder is 13-year-old Mujahideen Koeberg, whose father is in jail for gang-related crimes. He said he doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps and that sandboarding keeps him out of trouble.
Koeberg’s mother, Shamiela Koeberg, has separated from his father. Sitting on a sofa supported by cinder blocks, she said Bredenkamp is a positive role model in her son’s life. The sandboarding instructor has taught discipline to the children and shown them “many things outside the confines of this place,” she said.
Bredenkamp discovered sandboarding while stationed in the 1970s with the South Africa’s apartheid-era army in what is today Namibia, where desert sand dunes are much bigger than those in South Africa. He acknowledged that sandboarding cannot shield Atlantis boys from daily struggles but hopes the activity has a positive influence.
The boys, Bredenkamp said, should have fun, something “every child deserves.”
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, a sandboarder boy tumbles on a sand dune at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, a sandboarder boy descends a dune at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, sandboarder Tyrese Hugo gets airborne at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, sandboarding instructor Derek Bredenkamp, left, speaks to a few boys on a sand dune at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, children sandboard on sand dunes at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, a child adjusts his sand board on a dune at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, sandboarder boys jump on a dune at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
In this photo taken Friday, May 6, 2016, sandboarder Ruan Vermeulen gets airborne at Atlantis area on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa. Every Friday afternoon, some South African boys head for the sand dunes that surround Atlantis, a poor area on Cape Town’s outskirts where drug gangs operate and shootings occur regularly. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
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AP Images is the world’s largest collection of historical andcontemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP's iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional imagebuyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
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