“Didn’t Ask for Bribe, at Least”: US Skater Heading to Cape Town Runs Into Traffic Cops, SA Loves It

American skateboarder Jason Vanporppal was pulled over by traffic officers in Bloemfontein on 14 May 2026. This was while making his way from Uganda to Cape Town on a skateboard to raise funds for a youth skatepark.

The 26-year-old Los Angeles native shared the encounter on his Facebook account, and South Africans loved it.

The cops initially thought he was just another person messing around on the road. They had no idea who they had stopped or how far he had come. Vanporppal quickly set the record straight on the side of the road.

A mission bigger than the road

The American is not just skating for fun or for the thrill of it. He is doing it to raise money to build what could become Uganda’s largest skatepark. His journey has taken him across multiple countries on pure human power, with no motor or vehicle to help him along.

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At the time of publishing, he was less than 900km from the finish line, passing through Springfontein in the Free State. Cape Town is well within reach now. South Africans flooded the comments with love and disbelief in equal measure. Many could not believe a man had actually skated that far. The traffic cops, to their credit, let him carry on.

Watch the the Facebook clip below:

Mzansi reacts to the encounter

Francois Wait commented:

“Funny, they did not ask for a bribe.“

Anga Bonongo said:

“Those are South Africans for you. Friendly as always. We are waiting for you in Cape Town.”

Source: Briefly News