Skateboarding is hip and happening in Harare

• Published date: 15 July 2021
• Publication title: Vukani

The two, along with other friends, have become a familiar sight at the Grassroots Football for Hope Centre. But, instead of kicking a ball, they’re kicking it on their skateboards.

Dash, a problem-solver since his school days at the Cape Academy of Maths and Science in Constantia, and Ditolo, connected through their shared passion for skateboarding.

Together they conjured up the notion that they would start a club and get other youngsters interested. But first they needed a venue.

“We thought we should have a place where we could practise. We did not want to build a big skatepark, just a place where the community could come together, sit back and enjoy what’s on offer,” said Ditolo.

Thanks to a little bit of help from their friend Pieter Retief, whom they reached out to on social media, they were able to convert a portion of the area next to the Football for Hope Centre into a makeshift skatepark.

“We got in touch with Pieter and told him about a dream we had. He said he’d try to make a plan and after a few meetings, we got the opportunity to make our dream come true,” Ditolo said.

Retief connected them to RedBull SA, a company known for its involvement in sporting activities outside the mainstream.

It was a match made in skateboard heaven, as RedBull through its Do it Yourself (DIY) programme, provides support and material to kick-start the creation of DIY spots in local communities, encouraging those who have never built skateparks before and allowing those experienced to try something new.

The idea is not only to assist in the development of skate spots, but also to give the local skaters a platform to showcase their talents and DIY creativity.

Enter Retief, who runs Where To From Here, a company involved with similar projects since 2017.

Dash and Ditolo spotted him online, doing DIY initiatives, fixing skateboarding spots across the city.

“We focus on brand activations, event management and the production of skateboarding obstacles, mainly specialising in concrete,” said Retief.

“We’ve worked with global brands like Vans and Adidas to execute campaigns locally and abroad,” he said.

The Cape Town-based company does work all over South Africa and recently assisted with an activation based in Lagos, Nigeria, for International Go-Skateboarding day on June 21.

So when Retief received a call for assistance from Dash and Ditolo, it was right up his alley.

“Where To From Here partnered up with Red Bull to execute smaller DIY projects around South Africa. The...