A man from Calitzdorp is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest braai – aiming to surpass the current record of 80 hours.
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Gielie Basson is attempting to braai for 84 hours straight at his Zamani Grill in Calitzdorp, also known as ‘The Smallest Bar’ on Route 62. Basson started his braai at 5am on Thursday morning.
‘I aim to grill at Zamani for 84 hours, from 6am on 21 September to 3pm on 24 September,’ he told the Oudtshoorn Courant. ‘Jan Greeff, a South African who lived in America in 2014, is currently the record holder. I want to break his record.’
Garnering support from all over, residents of Calitzdorp provided Basson with a ‘Guinness World Record Survival Kit’, consisting of crisps, energy drinks, chocolates, and firelighters.
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Jan Braai, the founder and driving force behind South Africa’s popular National Braai Day, also wished him well:
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Basson says there aren’t many South Africans in the Guinness Book of Records, and he hopes to change that. ‘Maybe I can motivate another South African to do the same. However, my biggest goal is to market Calitzdorp and the Klein Karoo. We live in such an incredible part of the country – why can’t we brag about it?’
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Oudtshoorn Courant reports that according to the rules, Basson must braai on his own – no one else is allowed to touch the wood, the braai, the meat or the equipment during the attempt.
‘I may only turn the meat on the grill by hand and I may not use a folding grill. The meat must be cooked until edible and therefore must not come off the grill too raw or overcooked. One of the challenges is that the entire effort must be videotaped so that it can be sent to GWR as evidence. This is approximately 86 hours of continuous recording.’
He is also not allowed to sell the meat for a profit. Instead, he will donate the first batch of meat to emergency workers in Calitzdorp. Thereafter, he will donate to Vygieshof, a local residential care home, and a soup kitchen in Bergsig.
Basson says he aims to make the attempt unforgettable. ‘People are invited to hang out at Zamani. There will also be live music. I ask that people come to Calitzdorp on the weekend of 21 September and stop by the GWR attempt, take pictures and post them on their social media so that the whole world can know that Calitzdorp is not behind the bigger towns and that the word can spread because Calitzdorp is going to get the Guinness World Record.’
Here is his latest update on how things are going:
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