Raging with Red Frogs in Ballito

The annual Rage Festival is in full swing with more than 25 000 Ragers in party mode, while the Red Frogs hop around town – pancakes and sweets in hand – to lend a sober hand where needed.

But not everyone has had a happy Rage experience with con artists taking advantage of the festival to rip off unsuspecting victims.

For a group of nine Ragers from Richards Bay, the days of carefree fun and tanning on the beach started with a scam that left them homeless.

This came after the one boy’s grandmother, Deborah Good booked accommodation online offered by a John Rogers.

“We found the online advert for 44 Compensation Road with pictures and all the information. The contact person was listed as John Rogers, with an email address and a cellphone number.

“I contacted him, made the booking, paid the R21 000 for ten days for the nine boys and got an invoice,” said Good, who spoke to Rogers a few times on the phone to confirm all the details and booking.

“The boys arrived at the house last Friday at about 10am and waited. I phoned John to find out where he was and he said the maid is on her way from Zimbali with the keys.

“This continued until about 2pm. After that he switched his phone off. We realised it was a scam.”

The boys also said the house did not look anything like the photos on the Internet. Luckily, they found alternative accommodation.

“Good said she opened a case with the police. Director of One-Eyed Jack Darren Sandras said that despite this they are happy to report that the festival has had a smooth start so far.

“Rage Festival 2016 has kicked off powerfully! Our first Sound Factory event and opening party last Friday saw thousands of Ragers celebrate the end of exams and the beginning of nine days of non-stop party,” said Sandras.

Some matrics, however, are raging with stress, as they were still writing exams until Tuesday.

“The Rage Festival traditionally starts around the last weekend of November. This was specially done to not conflict with the matric exam timetable.

“This year, however, the Education department’s exam timetable meant that some exams fell over the start of Rage.

“We book our venues, production teams, crew and suppliers long in advance and advertise the start date from as early as the end of the previous year’s Rage Festival, so changing the date was impossible.”

He said it is normal for Ragers to arrive after the start date and with over 80 parties across multiple venues, there will still be plenty to enjoy.

“Rage Festival runs for more than a week to ensure everyone can experience it. Our accreditation and ground team are available throughout the festival period to ensure we can accommodate people who arrive at any time.”

To ensure the Ragers survive their new freedom the trusty Red Frogs are scattered around Ballito’s streets throughout the night according to the Red Frogs national co-ordinator, Paul Rowney.

“Matrics can call our hotline number (060 733 3764) day or night to book free pancakes, safewalks home and help in any situation. We also hand out a small red, frog shaped sweets, which tastes amazing and is a great conversation starter,” said Rowney.

“We will have a pancake trailer outside Crush were you can grab a pancake or just find a safe place to relax and get away from it all.

“Our Red Frogs have volunteer T-shirts, sponsored by Jam Clothing, with a special design on the front to make us easy to identify.

“Our teams are there to help out where we can, and generally just be the sober mate when needed.”

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