North Beach’s Femme Skaters: Sun, City, Sea – and Girls Skate Durban

Not too long ago, it seemed that seeing a girl riding a skateboard in South Africa was something of an enigma. Today, however, it’s way different.

By Chantal Graaff. Photos by Elana Schilz, Louis Van Rooyen and Ethan Lundy.

The South African Femme Skate scene has largely been strengthened from within. It’s becoming more and more common to see girl crews rolling up to the park, and there is an authentic sense of unity that comes with it.

South African Femme skaters make up a good portion of small business owners in the SA skate scene, and many of them have taken the initiative to drive self-funded community outreach projects.

One Such organisation is Girls Skate South Africa. Founded in 2015 by Sharne Jacobs in Gauteng, the organisation seeks to unite, empower and facilitate girls skating at a social, competitive and professional level. Girls Skate is now a nationwide franchise with branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The GSD crew has set its sight for KDC. Girls Skate Durban’s highest-performing skaters have secured their invitations to compete in the Kimberley Diamond Cup Final Grand Slam on March 5.

Durban, a sunny metropolis on the east coast of South Africa, has always been home to a few of SA’s most unique and formidable male skating talents. Perhaps it’s the sun and sea, perhaps it’s an active surf culture and a thriving art scene – but the Durban Femme Skate Scene has also shown tremendous potential here and gained significant momentum recently.

Girls Skate Durban or GSD (@girlsskate_durban) is an initiative spearheaded by a small group of passionate skaters Chantal Graaff, Bexx Sneddon, Carmen Gee and Janelle Rademeyer. Their the vision is one of unifying Femme skateboarding in KZN, showcasing high performing skaters, and aligning with photographers and creatives to promote the scene.

Founded in 2015 by Sharne Jacobs in Gauteng, Girls Skate South Africa seeks to unite, empower and facilitate girls skating at a social, competitive and professional level.

 

Through several group sessions, workshops, and online comps, GSD began to make an impact, soon building a network of 80 + skaters aged 13 to 60. The crew soon started to make headlines, with numerous skater features in local papers,(North Glen News/watch, Berea Mail, Capital Newspapers) eventually hitting national and international news features, appearing on eNCA and CNN-Inside Africa. Girls Skate Durban even has its own signature scrunchie line in Partnership with @maxineelizabethbutler

 

Continued progression for the girl’s skate scene in Durban lies in competitive skating. Having facilitated participation for three of its best skaters in the LWmag and Dragon Energy Streetlines Skate Competition in Pretoria in October 2021, the GSD crew has set its sight for KDC.

Girls Skate Durban’s highest-performing skaters have secured their invitations to compete in the Kimberley Diamond Cup Final Grand Slam on the 05 of March.

 

Much of what makes Durban the perfect place for producing upcoming skate talent is safety and accessibility for skaters of all ages. The North Beach Promenade is a perfect outdoor gathering place. The area creates safe and interactive access to the iconic and colourful North Beach Skate Park.

The park, featuring high-performance obstacles and attracting many spectators, has proven over and over again its ability to inspire and encourage a high level of skating. The Durban scene is a testament to that, and with Girls Skate Durban pushing for positive change, soon, one or two of Durban’s Femme skaters are sure to be on your list of favourite South African skaters too.

Check out Check out the photography of Elana Schilz.

Check out the Kimberley Diamond Cup on Instagram.