Meet Ballito’s vlogger on the rocks

After a divorce, Christiaan Kleynhans was left with their holiday house in Sheffield Beach and decided to reinvent himself as a vlogger, complete with a Zulu umqhele (headdress) and flaming background.

He has already posted 33 videos which range from interesting mini-documentaries about the Dolphin Coast, to fun videos of him zooming around the coast on a flying carpet.

“I have always enjoyed photography and when I got my new Nikon with a video function, I started making short videos and playing with editing tools.

“When I moved here, I started growing my hair and making videos – maybe it is a midlife crisis,” said Kleynhans, who is a graduate electronics engineer and moved to the Dolphin Coast in 2010.

“I am a real nerd. I enjoy programming for fun just to solve a problem. I enjoy gardening and interior decorating. I like electronics and being creative.”

His breakthrough came when the MT Phoenix tanker beached at Sheffield in 2011.

“I followed the story and went there at 5am in the morning they were attempting to free the tanker. The journalists were told it would happen at 7am, but by the time they arrived, I had already got some fantastic footage and so the SABC used my footage and credited me. News24 put it on their site and it spread. I got just over 11,8 million views.”

Since then, he started travelling around the coast, going to Hazelmere Dam to give update videos and keeping an eye on the beach for stories such as the stranded penguin in July 2016. Despite all his efforts to make informative stories packed with lots of creativity and heart, Kleynhans said he never got such a big response again.

“I started a YouTube channel and although I have 2350 subscribers, my videos do not get the views I hoped for. I am losing confidence in my work. The quality probably is not good enough. Maybe I am too old for it. I am not a good businessman, but I am passionate.

“I work under the name Chris on the Rocks – which could mean a lot of things, but right now, it means I have hit rock bottom.”

He said his 13-year-old daughter, Genevieve is his most critical viewer.

“She is very straight, which is exactly what I need. There is no point in flattering someone and keeping them on the wrong track,” he said.

Go find his YouTube channel, Christiaan Kleynhans, and join him as he explores the coast.

>>  Expect to find the latest trends in Health, Wellness and Beauty in Ballito.

>> Meet the top players in the North Coast property industry. See our Property People feature.

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