Youth Month: Owethu and Tumelo Mahan making waves in and out of the pool at University of Pretoria

SA’s next big swimming stars Owethu and Tumelo Mahan

Their journey began at Pretoria’s Lynnwood Ridge Primary School, where they first learned to swim for water safety. From there, they joined the school swimming team and were introduced to the world of competitive club swimming through their peers. That early exposure set the foundation for a growing passion and commitment that has led them to TuksSwimming, one of the continent’s leading swimming clubs, based at UP’s sport department, TukSport.

“We really do push one another to get faster,” Owethu says. “My brother and I both swim freestyle and butterfly events, and our times are quite close. It’s great knowing that there is always someone close behind in the next lane, or just out ahead.”

The Mahans are both studying towards Bachelor of Commerce degrees in UP’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Balancing their training and academic schedules is no easy task, but they have developed a disciplined approach to juggling their responsibilities.

“The only way I can manage to stay balanced is by ensuring all my commitments stay in their own lane,” Tumelo says. “When it is time to study, I am all in with my studies, then when it is time to train, I just focus on training. Academics keep my mind sharp, and sport keeps my body fit, so the two benefit one another, as long as I maintain healthy boundaries.”

UP has long been part of the brothers’ journey. They attended science camps and extra maths lessons on campus from an early age. This, they say, made the university a natural fit when it was time to choose where to pursue their higher education and sporting ambitions.

“We grew up at UP, coming on to campus from an early age… so this place has always felt like home,” they say. “Given that the Bachelor of Commerce programmes here are tops in the country, and that TuksSwimming is by far the best club around, it was an easy choice to make.”

Their coach, Rocco Meiring, is recognised nationally for developing elite swimmers. For the Mahans, training under Meiring has been both intense and inspiring. “Coach Rocco is amazing. He pushes us hard and produces the results,” they say. “Just being in the pool next to Olympians and world champs makes a huge difference.”

Steven Ball, director of TuksSport, says the Mahans exemplify the kind of well-rounded excellence UP strives to foster. “It’s really cool to have siblings performing in competitive sports, and what’s special for us is that they perform well academically and on the field.”

He adds that their success speaks to the essence of what TuksSport is. “The Mahans came from some of our junior programmes, and to see them now as student athletes and achieving success at national competitions and being selected for international teams is really special.”

The brothers have represented South Africa at major competitions such as the World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships and World University Games. Most recently, Owethu has been chosen by University Sports South Africa and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) to represent team SA at the FISU World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, from 16 to 27 July 2025. Tumelo has been selected by Swimming South Africa and SASCOC to represent the country at the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games to be held in Windhoek, Namibia from 4 to 13 July. They have their eyes firmly set on taking their performance to the highest level possible.

Beyond swimming and academics, faith and community are also central to their journey. Their father, Dana Mahan, an Academic Advisor at UP, says their values are rooted in the path they’ve walked with faith from an early age. “Owethu and Tumelo started walking the road of life with God at an early age, so it was God that has remained present with them every step of the way, as their swimming careers have unfolded,” he says. “The values that they gain through their faith, such as kindness and generosity, make them better swimmers, and the lessons they learn while swimming, such as hard work and dedication, make them better followers of the Lord Jesus.”