MEET JIMMY

“The Wild Coast hasn’t really been developed – it looks like it has always looked,” says entrepreneur Jimmy Selani, the face of this Wild Coast trail. He has been a guide on the trail since 1998 and started his own company, Wild Tours, in 2013. Jimmy lives in Mtumbane near Port St Johns. “I was working as a barber in 1998 when I saw an ad in the local newspaper looking for guides,” he says. “I had previously worked as a receptionist in a big hotel in Mthatha so I was used to talking to people. I went for training and started on this trail.” Jimmy is modest about the part he has played in developing the trail, and the fact that he has helped to create jobs for more than 40 other guides, including Yongama. He emphasizes again how safe the route is. “You can do it without a guide,” he says. “But the trail is not clearly marked.” In the early days, hikers used to camp near the villages. Since 2001, however, they overnight in huts belonging to residents. “This has led to interaction between hikers from around the world and the people of the Wild Coast,” Jimmy says. “The Pondo are some of the friendliest people in South Africa. You can learn how they live, enjoy their hospitality and warmth, and relax far from the hustle and bustle of the city.”