While the world’s top surfers took on Supertubes in the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, something equally powerful unfolded on Mandela Day, July 18: a mass gathering around shared tables, cooked with love and served with dignity.
More than 1,500 residents of Jeffreys Bay came together at Pellsrus Primary School for the first-ever JBay Community Lunch, where a hot meal carried the weight of a much bigger dream: to feed 200 people every week for a year.
Organised during the WSL JBay Open by The House of Mandela, the Faulkner Family Trust, and a growing coalition of local churches, artists, surf leaders, and residents, the lunch is a call to action, and a grassroots tribute to Madiba’s spirit of Ubuntu: “I am because we are.”
Rooted in the philosophy of umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu — a person is a person through other people, this gathering reminds us that true strength lies in community.
It’s a celebration of shared dignity, mutual care, and the powerful truth that no one thrives alone.
Kweku Mandela-Amuah, Event Director and grandson of Nelson Mandela, said, “Food grown, cooked, and shared by communities builds lasting bonds more than anything else.
“Here, we honour the mothers’ recipes, the farmers’ soil, and the shared responsibility to care for one another, as we always have.”
At the heart of the experience are homegrown flavour and soul.
Local gogos cooked alongside guest chef, Hardy McQueen, while schoolchildren performed and shared stories.
Artists, like YoungstaCPT, DJ Doowap and Don Delicious, brought music that resonated across generations.
In a town world-renowned for its waves, this event turned the tide, shining a light on the true heartbeat of Jeffreys Bay: mothers, surfers, teachers, builders, and dreamers who breathe life into this coastline.
The lunch is just the start.
In a province where one in four households face food insecurity, plans are already in motion to transform this moment into a sustainable feeding programme (at just R5 a meal) powered by local kitchens, rotating chefs, and a growing volunteer network — all fuelled by the values of Ubuntu.
Professional surfer and organiser, Joshe Faulkner, said, “When we break bread together, we break barriers too. This is not charity, it’s reciprocal care.”
In JBay, it’s not just the waves that unite — it’s the land, the people, and the spirit of sharing that keep hope alive.
