Our MISSION
To provide a CrossFit gym serving the people in the South Peninsula of Cape Town, especially the teens and young adults of Masiphumelele and Ocean View - two of the largest under-served communities in this area. CrossFit Masiphumelele is a community where all people can come together to build confidence, strength, and health - physically as well as spiritually - through CrossFit and faith in Christ.
We’re a CrossFit gym, just like any other, but better, because we are a non-profit CrossFit affiliate and are committed to making CrossFit possible for everyone regardless of who you are. We know that CrossFit changes lives and we want to share that awesomeness with everyone!
CrossFit Masi is the home of L327 Fitness, a Christian Mission, founded by Gabe Fisher and Lindsey Wolfe as an outlet and mentorship program for local teens and young adults. When L327 Fitness needed a new home gym in 2023, a group of people that were connected through CrossFit and/or our Christian faith, teamed up to open CrossFit Masiphumelele. And here we are! To learn more about how CrossFit Masiphumelele came to be, keep reading.
OUR PASSION IS CROSSFIT.
If you’re from South Africa, you probably already know, but if you’re new here, you may not - there are thousands of people living in the underserved communities of Cape Town and they face many hardships: unemployment, hunger, disease, drugs, gang involvement, fatherlessness, and despair. The struggle to meet basic necessities such as shelter, food, and water is ever present. High school drop-out rates and single parent homes are just a few factors which make life even more difficult. Life here is challenging to say the least. Children do not learn to dream of a better future because they are constantly concerned for their present circumstances. The effort of sustaining day-to-day life leaves little time to learn transferable life skills that could help a child break the cycle to achieve a brighter future for themselves and future generations.
OUR MISSION IS PEOPLE.
For an overwhelming number of people in the South Peninsula, CrossFit membership is a luxury they cannot afford, yet CrossFit delivers life-changing benefits that we believe everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy. CrossFit’s world-wide community and its people support each other unconditionally, without regard for socio-economic status, age, race, gender, religion, or ability. CrossFit encourages and rewards hard work. The lessons of commitment, perseverance, and grit learned within a box easily translate to every aspect of life. It builds courage, resilience, and confidence, as well as physical strength, gymnastic skills, and aerobic capacity. It supports a healthy lifestyle and encourages wise choices to fuel our bodies for optimal performance today and long term health. CrossFit cures disease and hedges against the inevitable process of aging and illness. CrossFit coaches model caring and dedication to the success and well-being of others. CrossFit enables people to achieve things they never dreamt possible.
For South Peninsula locals with the ability to contribute to our work financially, we maintain low membership fees and no contract commitments. Those monthly memberships fund daily operations, maintenance, special events for L327 athletes, and a Compassion Fund to support families in need during times of extraordinary hardship. Profits are never distributed among the founding members of CrossFit Masi. All profits are used to expand our programs to more people and for special projects to further serve L327 Fitness athletes and their families, per CrossFit Masi’s purpose and mission.
Generous donations from close friends, family, local and international suppliers, and brand partners made possible the initial procurement of the basic equipment for the box. CrossFit boxes around the world have committed to sponsor an L327 athlete with a monthly donation which covers the cost of full meals for an athlete after each training session. A t-shirt drive also provided funds to help get us started.
Our affiliation with CrossFit is critical to the sustainability of our mission. Through support from CrossFit, we are able to reduce our annual operating budget, are eligible to receive grants and discounted or free access to essentials for the gym, such as programming, equipment, ongoing education, training tools, and more. Every opportunity we have to reduce expenses means the donations we receive go farther, help more people, and impact more lives.
To learn how you can get involved, click here, follow us on social media or email info@crossfitmasi.com.