“She Is Beautiful”: Eastern Cape Woman Turns Vintage VW Kombi Into a Picture-Perfect Home on Wheels

• A Port Alfred woman converted a vintage two-tone VW T3 Kombi into a beautifully styled campervan that has the Campervans South Africa group completely obsessed
• The build features wicker basket drawers, a patchwork quilt, macramé plant hangers and a colourful tile print backsplash that makes Grace feel like a real home
• Strydom drove Grace to Kenton-on-Sea on her first road trip and shared the stunning photos with thousands of fellow campervan lovers online

A South African woman has Mzansi completely green with envy after sharing photos of her lovingly converted vintage Volkswagen Kombi.

Erika Strydom from Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape took her classic VW T3 Combi, named Grace, out for her first proper road trip on Sunday, 29 March 2026. She headed to Kenton-on-Sea for the day and shared six photos of the build in the Campervans South Africa Facebook group. The post stopped people mid-scroll. Strydom captioned it simply, ‘Grace is ready to hit the road.’

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Grace is a lifestyle

Grace is a white and pale blue VW T3 Kombi. She has a little smiley face decal on her side mirror and her name written in gold cursive script on the rear window. Outside, she looks classic and understated. Inside, she is something else entirely.

A kitchen unit is built into the van and painted in cream and sage green. It has two tiers of wicker basket drawers fitted neatly inside the frame. On top of the unit sits a mint green Totai portable stove with a dark green kettle resting on it. A colourful Spanish-style decorative print panel lines the wall behind the stove as a backsplash.

Van life in Mzansi is having its moment

The local vanlife community is passionate. Many South Africans choose converted vehicle road trips over traditional holidays each year. Events like Van Fest on the Wild Coast have helped grow the culture since launching in 2022. The Eastern Cape coastline has become a favourite stretch for van lifers, with its surf towns and open roads drawing people back.

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See Grace in the Facebook pictures here:

Mzansi reacts to Grace's beauty

Briefly News compiled some comments from the post below.

Ilze du Toit commented:

“Lucky you. Grace is beautiful. Her name says exactly what I presume you are feeling.”

Yolandi Vermeulen Duddy said:

“Wow! You have a unique piece there! She is so beautiful! Enjoy your travels in that beautiful van.”

Carina Krüger noted:

“Going nowhere slowly. I love you, Grace. Wow.”

Barend Van Heerden wrote:

“Now this is literally living the life. You didn't even overstock with everything. I see people who have so many cupboards in a Camper Van. I say go and enjoy the life you want.”

Marina Momberg commented:

“How lovely and practical, well done.”

More articles involving vintage vehicles

• A TikTok post showcasing a stunning transformation of a vintage 1983 blue Toyota car went viral on social media.
• A South African woman posted a video of the massive gift she recently bought her father and personally delivered it.
• A TikTok video showed people some cars that were on sale at unbelievable prices. The man who posted the TikTok gave people a look at a second-hand garage that had cars available for purchase.

Source: Briefly News