IN PICS | Fun in the sun as Durban beachgoers soak up weekend sporting and entertainment events

17 April 2023 - 13:10 By Sandile Ndlovu

Durban was a hive of sporting and awareness-raising activities over the weekend. From the adrenaline-pumping spectacle of the annual car drifting showpiece in the north, to an eye-opening campaign against sexism in sports coverage and a fundraising artistic performance, TimesLIVE recaps the entertainment that was on offer for beach lovers this past weekend.

Car Drifting

Suncoast Arena, Durban, was filled with smoke and tyre-screeching action as South Africa’s top drifters vied for the 2023 Red Bull Car Park Drift title.

Johannesburg’s Jim McFarlane drifted to victory, beating 24 other drivers.

This year’s competition was a tight one, ending with underdogs Cale van der Berg and Michael Skelton, as well as past champions McFarlane and Jason Webb, and local hero Paolo Jr Gouviea, in the final round.

The judges had their work cut out and in the end McFarlane proved why he was crowned champion in 2021 when he clinched his second Red Bull Car Park Drift title.

“Today was very special and unique — yes, drifting is an individual sport, but I have a team behind me that works hard to help me get out there and do what I do. I had problems with the car and was worried about limp mode, but they sorted it out and I was able to compete,” said McFarlane.

“When Cale’s car broke down, everyone came together to fix it. I am really excited about the world final later this year and hoping to do better than I did the last time I competed there,” he added.

McFarlane impressed throughout the competition and as the 2023 champion, he will represent Mzansi at the World Final in Qatar later this year.

The drifting weekend kicked off on Friday with 25 drivers going head-to-head in the qualifying rounds to book their place in the final on Saturday. The stage was set as the cream of the crop displayed their best drifting skills through the tough obstacle course prepared by world-renowned motorsport champion and Guinness Record holder Abdo Feghali.

Beach Volleyball

There was a lot of action at the Women’s Beach Volleyball QR code initiative on Durban's South Beach. Eight of South Africa’s top women beach volleyball teams competed at the Durban open live Volleyball Games on Saturday and Sunday.

The games were organised by the South African Volleyball Association to highlight sexism in sports coverage. It said while the growing global popularity of professional and amateur female sports is something to celebrate, invasive angles and excessive close-up shots can potentially devalue the empowerment that sports bring to participants.

Severine Vauleon, global brand vice-president of LUX and sponsor of the event, said: “This doesn’t only devalue the female athletes’ professional performance and achievements, but also perpetuates the objectification issue many women face every day. We believe that beauty should be a source of strength, and that the focus should be on celebrating the beauty of their strength, skills and achievements in sport.”

She added: “Women in sports are 10 times more likely to be objectified by camera angles that focus on certain body parts compared to their male counterparts. When we found out that this is also an issue for top female athletes who have achieved incredible things, we knew we had to act.”

Dance group African Zebra Kings Art Academy from Ntuzuma was this weekend on a roadshow dancing to raise funds for their multiracial children training project which they had to put on hold due to limited financial support.

The group is looking for sponsorship after their previous sponsor could only meet them halfway, forcing them to halt the project. Holidaymakers and residents were mesmerised by their dance moves and donated money to the cause.

“We appreciate these donations but our wish is to find a sponsor that can support our bigger vision. We only received three months' support from our previous sponsor and now we are here [at the beach] to attract donors”, said Minenhle Makhaye.

The group has 30 members and their vision is to equip children and youth with skills with an aim to create jobs in future. “Our country is faced with scarcity of jobs and these skills can help them to create jobs for themselves and be employable in the entertainment space,” Makhaye said.