Racing against the tide: How two entrepreneurs are conquering the PE2EL Ocean Challenge
Helplink graduate and brand ambassador Sibusiso Zulu is preparing for the 250km PE2EL Ocean Challenge, bringing the same perseverance he used to formalise his micro-business into the world’s toughest paddling race.
Image: Supplied
For thousands of South Africans, building a business in the informal economy can feel like paddling through stormy waters, full of uncertainty, obstacles, and the constant need for resilience. Two Helplink alumni are taking this metaphor quite literally.
Sibusiso Zulu and Sandile Menjenjalo are preparing to tackle the Port Elizabeth to East London (PE2EL) Ocean Canoe Challenge from December 3 to 6, 2025, a 250k, four-day race widely regarded as one of the world’s toughest ocean paddling events.
Helplink, the AI-powered platform transforming South Africa’s informal economy, will sponsor both paddlers. The initiative celebrates the shared values of grit, perseverance, and growth that Zulu and Menjenjalo have demonstrated in both business and sport.
From informal entrepreneurship to extreme endurance
Zulu, a Helplink graduate and brand ambassador, will paddle the PE2EL, representing thousands of emerging micro-entrepreneurs who embody courage and perseverance.
“The programme taught me that endurance is not just physical; it's about having the right strategy, mentors, and the mental fortitude to push past the breaking point,” Zulu says. “Every day on the PE2EL race needs focus and proper commitment, just the same as in running my business. I am proud to represent the thousands of resilient micro-businesses in South Africa who are ready to make the leap into the formal economy.”
The second sponsored paddler, Menjenjalo, a lifeguard from Orient Beach, will gain access to the course, a practical, SETA-approved programme that builds adaptability, life skills and career advancement.
Lifeguard and paddler Sandile Menjenjalo will tackle the PE2EL Ocean Challenge while gaining skills.
Image: Supplied
The Entrepreneurial Challenge vs The Ocean Challenge
The PE2EL race spans 250 kilometres over four days along South Africa’s Sunshine Coast, with paddlers facing notorious surf breaks, long open-ocean legs, and extreme mental and physical fatigue.
Adelaide McKelvey, executive director of Helplink, highlights the link between endurance in the PE2EL Ocean Challenge and the perseverance required to build successful micro-businesses in South Africa’s informal economy.
Image: Supplied
Adelaide McKelvey, executive director of Helplink, explains: “There is a direct and undeniable correlation between the sheer intensity of the PE2EL Challenge and the grit required to successfully launch and run a formal business in South Africa.
"Sibusiso is a living testament to the transformation our programme achieves. He has navigated the tumultuous ‘waters’ of the informal economy to establish a solid business and is now applying that same perseverance to conquer the harshest coastline in the world. He represents every micro-entrepreneur who embodies courage, perseverance, and purpose.”