Six of Cape Town’s most charming teens proved their magical prowess and took home gold at the 2021 Western Cape Junior Magician Championships on Saturday 18 September 2021.

The Championships, hosted annually by the College of Magic, the Mother City’s only magical arts organisation, was presented in a new hybrid virtual and live event format at the College’s mysterious Victorian manor in Claremont and online via the Quicket platform. 

Eleven of the province’s teens went wand to wand at the Championships, with judges grading them on the visual impact and presentation of their acts, their technical and magical abilities and showmanship skills. In the end, six of these outstanding teens won top honours.

Somerset West’s Sebastien van den Hoogen (17) charmed his way into winning the Stage Magic Champion trophy with a graceful performance featuring elegant dove and silk  production effects. With an impressive bag of tricks up his sleeve,Sebastien also clinched the Close-Up Magic runner-up title. 

The teen is ecstatic about his double achievement:

“I’m over-the-moon excited! I practiced for months leading up to the competition and I am just so thrilled that all of my hard work paid off. I hope winning this title will open more doors for me in the world of magic and I am so keen on developing new acts.”

Century City’s Sahil Samlal (18) successfully defended his Close-Up Magician title for the second year running. 

In a surprise magical twist, the runner-up Stage Magic Champion title was awarded to both Lilitha Frans (17) from Phillipi and Tristan Grant (18) from Diep River.

Lilitha, a grade 11 learner with aspirations of becoming an actor someday, is quite vocal about the benefits of studying magic and competing:

“Studying magic at the College of Magic has been life-changing for me and to be able to take what I’ve learnt there and perform it in an award-winning act has been a dream come true. Winning this award  has inspired me to enter more magic competitions and I cannot wait to show everyone what I’ve got!”

Future engineer Tristan is happy that the judges and audience enjoyed his winning act:

“I have started to see magic not just as a sequence of moves, but rather a way to tell a story, and a way to make people have fun.It gives me great joy to know that the Champs spectators were blown away by my story!”

Tying for the Supreme Up-and-Coming Junior Magician Trophy are Deyna Viret (17) from Yzerfontein and Riyago Maartens (17) from Durbanville .The Supreme Trophy is awarded to a performer for their successful performance skills and great potential.

As one of only three female competitors at the Champs this year, Deyna is thrilled to be awarded this wonderful accolade:

“There is no better thrill than getting the audience as excited as you are! I hope to show future female magicians that anything can be achieved if you set your heart and mind on a goal – and put in the time to practice. You only do your best when you’re having fun – and performing magic is great fun!”

Maartens,who has produced and performed in two of his own shows for the public, credits the College of Magic for his astonishing accomplishment and instilling the confidence he needed to win:

“The College of Magic has given me my passion and it was my entry into the performing arts. It has and will continue to give me an extra edge against other performers in competitions like the Championships, with the uniqueness and wonder that magic presents. My life is more wondrous and exciting with the College of Magic in it!”

Come and watch your magic champs dazzle live at the upcoming Children’s Magic Festival this October:

These teen magic champs will next be seen sharing the wonder of magic with Capetonian families at the 2021 Children’s Magic Festival, to be held at the College of Magic in Claremont, from 14 to 18 December 2021. With a spectacular cast of magicians, jugglers, clowns and more, a week of safe, magical hijinks awaits!  

For more info and programme updates, please visit www.collegeofmagic.com or follow them on Facebook.

It’s been a magical year of note for young township junior magician Sesona Gagana - not only has he recently returned from representing South Africa’s magical youth on a whirlwind educational tour of Las Vegas and New York, but he was also awarded the much-coveted Siegfried and Roy Foundation Scholarship at the College of Magic’s annual graduation on Saturday 17 November 2018.

The 15-year-old teen illusionist from Khayelitsha is an ardent student of the magical arts who voraciously absorbs everything he can learn about close-up magic, stage magic, juggling and mime and clowning during his weekly lessons at the College of Magic, the only magical arts organisation of its kind in the world, in Claremont.

Each year, the College of Magic, now in its 38th year of teaching the art of magic and its allied arts as well as vital life-skills to children and adults, honours its exemplary students at two graduation ceremonies, one for the junior and one for the senior students.

As part of their annual SARMOTI Grant to the College of Magic, Siegfried and Roy present a bursary in the form of a full year’s tuition to a most deserving senior student. The Siegfried and Roy Scholarship is awarded this year to Gagana as the most deserving Course 5 student for his excellent achievements. This magical allrounder goes into his final year of training at the College of Magic in 2019.

Having met Siegfried, one half of the world-renowned illusionist duo on his recent visit to Las Vegas, Gagana is absolutely thrilled with his scholarship:

“Magic has transformed my life so much this year. Travelling overseas for the first time and meeting my magical heroes was a dream come true and now I’ve been awarded this scholarship! Thank you so much to Siegfried and Roy and to the College - I promise to make you all so proud of me!”, says the excited teen magician.

The College of Magic,a non-profit organisation, is equally pleased with this honour:

“We are committed to helping our young students realise their dreams through the art of magic. To have two of magic’s most iconic performers support this initiative and assist us in helping Sesona achieve the impossible is an absolute privilege and honour“, says Yolandi van Jaarsveldt, CEO of the College of Magic.

As the top senior juggler at the College of Magic, Gagana was also awarded the Senior Juggling Shield - another award to be proud of and to encourage him to strive for excellence in his Course 6 year in 2019.

Experience the impossible with the College of Magic in 2019:

An enchanting new learning adventure awaits aspiring Harry Potters who would like to follow in Sesona’s footsteps as the College of Magic welcomes new wizardry recruits to its beginners' programme, Course One, from Saturday 26 January 2019!

Course One will see the magicians-in-training explore the world of magic through a 15 week exciting and intensive diploma course which includes rope magic, card tricks and coin effects as well as an introduction to the allied arts, namely  juggling, mime, clowning and puppetry.This entry level course is suitable for learners aged 10 to 13 years old.

Course One will run at the College of Magic, 215 Imam Haron Road (previously Lansdowne Road) in Claremont each Saturday for six months from Saturday 26 January 2019 with classes at 09h00 and at 12h00. Fees are R 2950 and include all course equipment and notes, as well as participation in any or all of the allied arts on offer.

Registration for the College of Magic’s 2019 Course One is now open. Call +27 (0) 21 683 5480 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to secure your booking.

For more information about the College of Magic, please visit www.collegeofmagic.com.