Jason Vanporppal
Breaking barriers and building hope skating from Uganda to Cape Town
On Monday, 25 May 2026, Cape Town warmly welcomed American skateboarder, Jason Vanporppal, as he finished the last leg of his remarkable journey by reaching Cape Town.
Under the watch of Table Mountain, he rode up Hatfield street into the City bowl skatepark, where a crowd had gathered to celebrate with him.
Hamish and I were part of that crowd. We joined the people waiting for his arrival, those running down the street to catch a glimpse of him and the united group filling the skatepark to hopefully gift him the South African flag Hamish had bought along.
The atmosphere was electric. Fans of all ages, demographics and skating levels united to share this moment after months of being invested in Jason’s journey.
Hamish couldn’t wait to meet the hero he’d been watching for months, present him with a South African flag, and hopefully get his board signed.
Even amidst the chaos, with cameras, crowds, and what I can only imagine was an emotional moment, Jason still had time to gently smile and chat to Hamish whilst signing his board.
In these humble moments , it’s easy to see the heart behind his goal, not only the journey.
About Jason Vanporppal
Who is Jason Vanporppal?
Jason is a 26 year old skateboarder who comes from California, USA. He set out with the goal to travel from Kampala. Uganda to Cape Town, South Africa to raise funds to build the biggest skatepark in Uganda.
Just a young man, a dream, a board and a cell phone.
About his travels
His remarkable 6400 kilometer journey, started in February 2026 and saw him travel through Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana before entering South Africa.
Together we watched his humble beginning….
We witnessed his adventures through our African borders, we cried with him as his two travelling friends, Isaac and Ephrim, weren’t granted a visa to continue and we all wanted to reach out and share a hug or an encouraging word when the journey got hard.
For the last 106 days we have watched him, exhausted ,embracing our culture, looking for clean clothing and struggling to fix a wheel mid journey but mostly we watched as our South African families and businesses embraced him, kept him safe , fed and clothed him and showed up with love and support.
From entire classrooms greeting him and Jerome, the gently guiding father figure who spent two weeks escorting Jason towards Cape Town, to people stopping on the side of a road just to wave hello.
The goal
Behind this amazing journey, this courageous young man and this incredible story, is a very real goal .
To build the biggest skatepark in Uganda
Throughout the trip, Jason spoke of the need to give children a safe space to play, away from roads and dirt.
He set up a gofund account, which reached an outstanding 44 421 dollars of his 45 000 dollar goal.
You can still support his goal
https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-build-a-skatepark-in-uganda/
Personally, Hamish and I were very invested in this journey.
We watched as one big dreamer, whose expectations were humble, united our country, and showed the true spirit of Ubuntu.
As a South African, I have never been more proud of our people.
As a mom, I am thankful for the people like Jason, who showed up and show our children how to make dreams come true.
