Wrestling Trainer for Youth Development

Daryl “The Nightmare” Naidu is one of those complex characters who is living evidence that we are all able to transcend the boxes we were born into. The 125kg weight and 1.9m height of this 28-year-old perfectly fit his public persona of professional wrestler. His alter ego as a community youth developer, promoting an anti-bullying message, is, however, where he breaks the mould. Naidu uses his celebrity profile and training to respond to the leadership needs of his Chatsworth community. When he finished his formal World Wrestling Professionals training in Jo’burg he moved back to Durban and opened the Chatsworth Youth Centre, a facility that offers children free extracurricular programmes, with Naidu teaching young fans professional wrestling. He views this as a step towards realising his dream of forming a “youth movement where the positive power of sports is used to change our nation”.

— Taryn Mackay

Twitter: @NIGHT_M_A_R_E