Culture Craze
Marc Lottering and husband grateful to be alive after Cyclone Gezani scare in Mozambique
A seaside breakfast with crashing waves in the background is usually the stuff of holiday dreams. For comedian Marc Lottering and his husband, Anwar Mc Kay, it became the calm before a storm they will never forget.
The couple had travelled from Cape Town to Mozambique for a well-earned break when they found themselves directly in the path of Tropical Cyclone Gezani. Their getaway to Tofo Beach in Inhambane province quickly turned into a tense waiting game as the cyclone moved through the region.
From holiday mode to survival mode
Cyclone Gezani made landfall in eastern Madagascar on 10 February, bringing winds of around 180 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching up to 230 kilometres per hour. As it crossed the Mozambique Channel and approached Inhambane, conditions intensified.
Reports from the region later confirmed that at least four people lost their lives as a result of the storm. For visitors and locals alike, the threat was very real.
On social media, Mc Kay shared a video taken just hours before the cyclone hit. In it, he sits at a beachside café enjoying breakfast while staff scramble in the background, preparing for what was coming. The wind is audible. The waves are restless. Yet he admitted he was still in denial.
He later reflected that cyclones were something he associated with international news channels and distant countries. It had not quite registered that he was the one in a faraway place this time.
His message afterwards was simple: grateful to be alive and safe.
“Was that my last poached egg?”
Lottering’s own video struck a different tone. Known for his humour, he appeared visibly anxious as waves crashed violently against the shore. Joking that he wondered whether that breakfast might be his last, he admitted he was done with punchlines in that moment.
The contrast between the two clips resonated online. South Africans flooded the comments sections with relief and support, with many saying the footage made the danger feel uncomfortably close to home. For a country familiar with unpredictable weather and power outages, seeing a beloved comedian caught in a cyclone added a human layer to the headlines.
Tofo, still a “vibe”
Despite the fear, both men were quick to praise Tofo and its people. Mc Kay described the seaside village as beautiful, calling locals kind and humble even as they braced for impact.
There is something telling in that reflection. Mozambique, particularly coastal towns like Tofo, remains a favourite for South African travellers looking for warm water and a slower pace. Yet the region is also vulnerable to tropical systems that sweep in from the Indian Ocean during cyclone season.
For Lottering and Mc Kay, the trip became what Mc Kay called an adventure of a lifetime. Unpredictable, yes. Frightening, certainly. But also a reminder of perspective.
They have since returned safely to Cape Town, back to routine and, no doubt, better breakfast odds.
Sometimes a holiday story is about sunsets and seafood. Sometimes it is about survival and gratitude. In this case, it was both.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: Youth Village
