Freedom swim
Robben Island to Cape Town P2
Open sea East London swimmers Jono Kruger and Greg Harris will be spending their Easter weekend in icy waters completing the 8km Freedom Swim from Robben Island to Big Bay in Cape Town on April 18. The pair will be swimming under the banner Swim For Lives, in an effort to raise funds for King's Children's Home. Also attempting the feat will be East Londoners Joy Roach, Gail Wild, who was Saturday’s age group winner of the 10km Bellbuoy Challenge in Nelson Mandela Bay, Karen Albertyn, Dr Sean Murray, and Vic Beltrame. “I launched the Tries For Lives initiative with my Under 16 A rugby team about three years ago and my team have been training hard and have raised about R70,000 for the children’s home,” Kruger said. “They are making a difference and I felt challenged to do something in my own capacity,” said Kruger, 37, an English teacher at Selborne College. Harris, 47, said he had planned to do the swim, but wanted to do it for a cause. “I was looking for a cause or charity to support and when Jono [Kruger] told me about what he was doing, I came on board. “After a swim in the ocean, the world is more colourful. It’s a
Sport can be used as a vehicle for social change and that’s what it’s all about; making a difference
feeling I’ve always wanted to share, but didn’t know how and swimming for something bigger than just myself is a good way to do it,” said Harris, a local contractor. The Kings Children’s Home is an NGO and fosters up to 40 abandoned and abused babies and young children, but its main aim is to find a family for each child. Calling for sponsorships and donations towards their swim, Kruger and Harris hope to raise at least R20,000. Preparing for the swim since July 2018, Kruger and Harris have endured many cold swims – and showers. Training with the East London Open Water swimmers, Kruger and Harris have dived into dams, rivers and oceans and even undertaken the wild 6.5km swim along the East London coastline from Orient beach to Nahoon, ahead of their Atlantic Ocean swim. “We have to acclimatise our bodies to the cold water so I don’t think I know what a warm shower feels like any more,” said Kruger. “I’ve done this swim before back in 2011, but I stopped training for a long time and only picked up open water swimming again last year, so I’m a bit worried I won’t actually finish,” he laughed. Harris, who has been involved with open water swimming for many years, said there were always risks involved, but the experience was worth it. “It’s a psychological challenge as much as a physical one because you never know what’s in the sea below you and with the Freedom Challenge in particular, you become very isolated in the fog, aside from that the water is extremely cold so there is the risk of hypothermia, but the rewards definitely outweigh the risks. We’re not the only local swimmers who’ve done something similar. Others have done much longer swims for a cause. “This is just the start of Swim For Lives. Sport can be used as a vehicle for social change and that’s what it’s all about; making a difference,” said Kruger, who hopes to set up a swim challenge every year to raise funds for local charities. To make a donation towards Harris and Kruger’s swim contact Kruger on 072-450-0899.