The KDC Grand Slam provides a platform for amateur and professional skateboarders to compete and make their mark in the skateboarding world.

The opening Grand Slam at Thaba Nchu Skate Park offers a R100,000 prize and an opportunity to qualify for the national finals in Kimberley in December, where R200,000 will be up for grabs.

“The KDC was founded on a belief that skateboarding can be a catalyst for positive change,” said KDC programme manager Andile Mlawu. “Beyond the competition, every stop of the KDC tour offers free skate clinics through skateboarding.

“We do school visits, holding mentorship sessions where we bring in professional skaters to share their skills, life lessons, and stories of resilience. We want to create a society of young people with lives based on a healthy lifestyle, principles, discipline, and teamwork.”

The KDC World Skateboarding Championships first took place in 2013, and the event has been held in the Northern Cape capital since then.

The 2025 Grand Slam multi-city tour spans six provinces, starting in Bloemfontein on Saturday, 2 August, and continuing to Durban on Saturday, 23 August, Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 13 September, Kimberley on Saturday, 4 October, Cape Town on Saturday, 11 October, and Johannesburg on Saturday, 25 October.

The tour is a build-up to the KDC Championships at the Kimberley Skate Plaza in December.

Organising the Grand Slams involves months of planning. The conditions in the various provinces differ, said Mlawu. “Last year, we had to go in and upgrade one of the skate parks to fit the standard we were looking for.”

One aspect that is appreciated is the reception from young people at each stop. “It makes the hard work worthwhile.”

Two of the local skaters in Kimberley have been invited to participate in the Grand Skate Tour in Moscow in August, showing the impact of all the hard work, he said.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame cg