Provincial Unions

The small Paddlesport Central Districts union incorporates the old Free State Canoe Union, as well as clubs in the Northern Cape and North West provinces. It is based in Bloemfontein and provides a domestic season aimed at training for the major LD races across the country.

It’s premier event is the Orange River Marathon, which is a blend of long expanses of flat water and a few massive rapids. This two-day stage race stretching over 73km covers one of the most beautiful stretches of water our country has to offer.

The Orange Descent not only showcases our exiting river and the majestic scenery but also exposes paddlers to the warm and hearty Northern Cape hospitality.

The Orange Descent is an official CSA canoe marathon in the PCD region and is under the management of the PCD and Upington Canoe Club.

Union Contact: 
Waldo van der Linde
072 184 9090
info@stroke2max.com

AFFILIATED CLUBS:
Bloemfontein
Kimberley
Welkom
Bethelem/Maluti
Potchefstroom
Vereeniging.

The Eastern Cape Canoe Club was formed in 1963 by Norman Dyer and Tony Oshery, and the official provincial union followed in 1977 under chairman Eldon Slabbert, with his son Stanford as secretary. In 2026 the union changed its name to PaddleSport Eastern Cape.

The region’s premier events are the annual Fish River Marathon, ending in the Karoo town of Cradock, and the Pete Marlin Surfski weekend.

The Fish features 80 km of fast flowing irrigation water racing through willow trees, big rapids (like Keith’s Flyover), and several testing weirs.

The Pete Marlin has grown to be one of the must-do events on the ocean racing calendar with paddlers travelling from all over the country to enjoy some typical East London hospitality and downwind racing.

OFFICIAL UNION WEBSITE

OFFICE BEARERS
Executive Committee Members
Chairman: Gavin McNish – 082 320 2611
Vice Chairman: Johan Staats – 082 321 0685
Treasurer: Marie Louw – 076 751 4718
Athlete Representative: Matt Fenn – 083 610 2442

Portfolio Members
Administrator: Marie Louw – 076 751 4718
Development Officer: Marie Louw – 076 751 4718
Media Officer: Nix Birkett – 082 556 6476
Safety Officer: Gary Atkinson – 082 859 3898

Co-opted Members
Brendon Thompson – 083 276 6790
Jacques van Rooyen – 079 697 6887
Jason Goedhals – 083 415 8324

Disciplines:
Canoe Polo: Jamie Truby – 060 493 7199
Canoe Sprint: Duncan Boyd – 083 763 8723
Marathon: Andre Kruger – 073 216 4323
Ocean Paddling: Kirstin Scott 084 907 7357
SUP: Jethro Johnson – 084 550 5499

Club Chairmen
Border Canoe Club: Quentin Rheeder – 061 476 1887
Blue Water Canoe Club: Johann Staats – 082 321 0685
Fish River Canoe Club Ryan Copeman – 083 440 2445
Knysna Canoe Club: Kate Southey – 083 780 3010
Kowie Paddling Club: Richard Legg – 082 560 4905
Outeniqua Canoe ChJb: Petrus Crous – 083 641 2232
Plettenberg Bay Canoe Ci’b: Neal Stephenson – 082 920 0725
Rhodes Univ Canoe Club: Megan Searle – 064 521 3976
St Francis Paddling Club: Charlie Jonsson – 082 602 570
Wild Duck Kayak Club: Cameron Adams – 076 622 4454

Paddlesport Gauteng (formerly the Gauteng Canoe Union) is the second largest in terms of registered paddlers, and hosts a thriving long distance (LD) season, much of which is based on the many excellent training dams in the greater Gauteng area. In 2002, Gauteng and Northern Gauteng merged to form a single Union, known as the Gauteng Canoe Union which then fell into line with PaddleSport South Africa’s naming convention in 2026.

OFFICE BEARERS
Chairman: Chad Andrews – chad@canoeconcepts.co.za
Vice-Chairman: Raymond Rorich – raymond.rorich@gmail.com
Treasurer: Bryan Slater – scatter@iafrica.com
Safety Officer: TBC
Administrator/Bookkeeper: Rene Andrews – info@gcu.co.za
Development Officer: TBC
Race Administrator: TBC
Media: Jennie Dallas – jenniedallas23@gmail.com
Athelete Representativer: Esti Olivier – esti3233@gmail.com

Convenors
Marathon: Rob Crighton – robcrichton@gmail.com
Sprints: Nichole Wilson – rattynw@gmail.com
School League: Nichole Wilson – rattynw@gmail.com
Surfski: Karen Field
Canoe Polo: Rob Crighton – robcrichton@gmail.com
Slalom: Niel Burger – niel.fila.burger@gmail.com

GCU Clubs
Academy Canoe Club (Roodeplaat Dam, Pretoria)
Centurion Canoe Club (Rietvlei Dam, Irene)
Crocodile Canoe Club (Virtual Club)
Dabulamanzi Canoe Club (Emmarentia Dam, Johannesburg)
Ekurhuleni Canoe Club (Homestead Dam, Benoni)
Florida Lake Canoe Club (Florida Lake, Roodepoort)
Johannesburg Canoe Clug (Wemmerpan, Johannesburg South)
Likkewaan Canoe Club (Vaal River, Parys)
Lowveld Canoe Club (Nelspruit, Mpumalanga)
Northwest University Canoe Club (Potchefstroom)
Pretoria Canoe Club (Roodeplaat Dam, Pretoria)
Sason Canoe Club (Secunda, Mpumalanga)
Soweto Canoe Club (Orlando Dam, Soweto)
Tuks Canoe Club (University of Pretoria)
Victoria Lake Canoe Club (Germiston Lake)
Watuni Canoe Club (Vaal River, Vanderbijlpark

The KwaZulu-Natal Canoe Union, or KNCU, is the biggest province in terms of number of registered paddlers with a big river marathon paddling community.

The province has always been one of the major canoeing provinces in South Africa with some of the most popular races, including the Dusi, Umkomaas, and Drak Challenge two- or three-day races, as well as many more one-day events.

There is also a very strong ocean racing or surfski racing community as well as sprint and flatwater marathon events. The province has a history of slalom & wild water canoeing and a strong canoe polo structure.

The Union was formed after the inaugural Dusi marathon in 1951, and over the years has seen the likes of Ernie Pearce, Charlie Mason, Fox Ledeboer, Paul Chalupsky, Robbie Stewart, Geoff Dyer, Des Park, Mark Conway, Ivan Levinson, Hugh Cocksedge, Paul Zimmerman, Niel Tupper, Kevin Trodd, Mark Lynn and Tim Cornish as chair of the Union.

Many of the development initiatives are based along the Pietermaritzburg to Durban corridor. The Nagle Dam project, founded by the late Robert Lembethe is still active, and there are also thriving initiatives at Dusi Bridge, Mkhambathini, Thousand Hills Canoe Club, Inanda Dam, Shongweni Dam and Siyaphambili on the South Coast.

The Union also has a strong schools program. This is administered by the Schools Committee and consists of an annual series of events, offering an introduction to the different disciplines of canoeing as well as both individual and inter-school competitions.

OFFICIAL UNION WEBSITE

OFFICE BEARERS:
CHAIRMAN: Duncan May – duncan@mrbm.co.za, 083 779 2284
FINANCIAL OFFICER: Walter Ulrich – kncusec@sai.co.za
ADMINISTRATION: TBC
DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATOR & ADMINISTRATOR:
Thulani Mbanjwa – mikembanjwa@gmail.com Cell: 078 103 5196
Candy Mavundla – kncudev@sai.co.za
SAFETY OFFICER: Jacques Le Roux
DISCIPLINE REPRESENTATIVES:
Marathons: Richard Lowe – Flat Water & Stuart Clifton – River
Sprints: Swe Ndlovu
Canoe Polo: Lorna Oliver
Surfski: Greg Vogt
Schools: Kyle Friedenstein

The Western Cape Canoe Union has always been a dominant force in the South African canoeing scene with a strong culture of river racing, ocean racing and sprinting.

The union hosts four major events each season:
• The Freedom Paddle surf ski race, held on the 27th of April around Robben Island to celebrate Freedom Day;
• The tough four-day Berg River K1 Marathon from Paarl to Velddrif in July
• The Breede River Marathon in late winter / early spring between Robertson and Swellendam
• The Cape Point Challenge, is a 50+ kilometer paddle starting at Witsands on the Atlantic Coast, rounding the iconic Cape Point and finishing at Fish Hoek beach.

Leading up to these events, the WCCU, through the clubs in the region, host a number of 1-day races on sections of the Berg and Breede Rivers that make up the marathon races. Prior to the river racing season, the union hosts sprint events for all categories.

During the summer months there is a vibrant series of surf ski races and the union has a thriving development program.

OFFICIAL UNION WEBSITE

OFFICE BEARERS:

Chairman: Peter van der Merwe – peter@van-der-merwe.co.za
Vice Chairman: Robin Tindal – robmobius@gmail.com
Treasurer: Rob Hart – prhart@iafrica.com
Executive Secretary: Bianca Beavitt – biancabeavitt@gmail.com
Administrative secretary: Rene Boehm – reneboehm@mweb.co.za
Safety Officer: Crispin Thompson – crispin@crispinthompson.co.za
Media Liaison: Lisa Scott – lisa@lisascott.co.za
Development Coordinator: Wayne August – wayneaugustcoaching@gmail.com
Lady Rep: Bianca Beavitt – biancabeavitt@gmail.com
DSO: Bianca Beavitt – biancabeavitt@gmail.com
Discipline Representatives:
Marathon Flat Water: Romy Findlay – romy.parker@uct.ac.za
Marathon Rivers: Francois Du Toit – ajfdutoit@gmail.com
Sprints / Coaching: Shaun Rubenstein – shaunruby@gmail.com, 082 735 3814
Canoe Polo: Terrence Ward – terrence@paddleexperience.co.za
Ocean Paddling: Ant Lake