Ottery bikers bring hope and pickled fish to Cape Flats
Pieces of fish are being prepared at the table of the pickle fish dry run over the weekend ahead of Good Friday.
Image: Suppplied
Hundreds of residents across the Cape Flats are expected to be fed this Good Friday as the Ottery Boyz MCC Biker Club rolls out their annual pickle fish run, a long-standing easter initiative expected to reach some of the most vulnerable communities in Cape Town.
Led by Ottery resident and community activist Keith Blake, alongside his wife, Tina Blake, and sons, the 12-year-old initiative will see bikers travel through areas including Parkwood, Freedom Park, Pine Acres, Philippi, Lotus River, and other informal settlements, delivering freshly prepared pickled fish, bread, and easter treats to families in need.
“The queues are always long, and the people are always so happy. Not everybody can afford fish because it’s so expensive. In this holy time for most Christians, it’s wholesome to have pickled fish and hot cross buns, no matter what… it means a lot to our community,” said community activist and former councillor Melanie Arendse.
Blake’s initiative was born out of a moment he says he never forgot, when children once came knocking on his door asking for food on Good Friday.
With nothing prepared at the time, he and his wife made a plan to cook what they could.
That moment sparked a commitment that has now spanned over a decade to ensure that no child or struggling household goes without a meal during the Easter weekend.
Keith Blake stands next to his son, Morne Blake, at the pickle fish run, showing prepared fish in a pot.
Image: Supplied
In the days leading up to Good Friday, Blake’s sons help coordinate the operation, while his grandchildren, among other young volunteers, join in cleaning fish, cutting onions, and preparing large quantities of food. During a recent dry run in Diep River, volunteers prepared 13 large containers of pickled fish using donated tuna, hottie, and John Dory.
“It’s a family thing, and it fills me up with so much joy,” Blake said, adding that the involvement of younger generations is what keeps the initiative alive.
Blake said the demand continues to grow each year, with large crowds expected at every stop along the route.
Freshly sourced fish by volunteers contributing to the biker boys pickle fish dry run.
Image: Supplied