It’s heating up at the chili eating contest. (Photo: Jana Smit)
He picked up the gray towel on the table in front of him, pressed it to his eyes, wiped his face. Seconds ago, Francois Badenhorst from Krugersdorp shoved a chocolate habanero pepper into his mouth, chewed and swallowed.
This pepper is considered one of the hottest habanero varieties, but Badenhorst looks as cool as a cucumber. There is no sign of discomfort on his face.
Badenhorst is one of 17 people taking part in the Heckers Chillifees challenge at the Heckers garden center in Boksburg on the East Rand. The group competes to see who can chew and swallow 20 peppers, from moderate to fiery hot on the fire barometer.
A banner gives one the idea of how hot things can get today: “Seeds that don’t behave (and neither should you)”.
Louis Hecker, owner of Heckers Garden Centre, says this is the sixth time the festival, which is offered every April and November, has been held.
Only one woman is participating today. The first peppers on the list, judging by the participants’ reactions, seem fair to moderate. There are green jalapeño peppers, red Thai peppers and chocolate habanero, which burn 10 times more than the red Thai.
Later on the list are peppers whose name turns your stomach: Jamaican Scotch Bonnet with the 7 Pot Yellow Brain Strain, Purple Death in Red Ghost.
Francois Badenhorst. (Photo: Jana Smit)
Paramedics are on standby.
Past champions also compete for the title today. Ernest Salzwedel walked away with the laurels in March 2024 and again in November of that year and Nelson Charlie was the champion in April 2025.
Charlie says he started eating chillies in 2019 after a colleague introduced him to it.
Everyone has a bottle of milk and honey in front of them if things get too hot. There are also buckets for when things get way too hot. However, reaching for these buckets or buckets before the end of the competition automatically disqualifies you.
At first, none of the participants, sitting shoulder to shoulder next to each other at the long table with its crimson tablecloth, show much emotion.
The chillies’ heat level is measured in heat units according to the Scoville scale. This scale measures the spiciness or “heat” of peppers in Scoville heat units (SHU), based on the concentration of capsinoid.
Jasveer Morar, who even grows chillies on his farm Kadipore Farms, is the master of ceremonies. After everyone chews and swallows the red Thai chili, things heat up quickly. The chocolate habanero’s name may sound tempting, but apparently the sweet name is simply because of the brown color and not because of its place on the Scoville scale, because Morar warns: “If you guys want to throw up, aim for the buckets.”
The SHU is between 25,000 and 577,000, significantly hotter than the standard orange habaneros.
Christopher Wessels’ parents, Johan and Janine. (Photo: Jana Smit)
One by one, the participants begin to crack under the heat. The chocolate ghost pepper sounds a lot more innocent than it is. This becomes clear when two more participants aim for the red buckets.
When the Mustert Bhutlah chilli came, only five people were left. This pepper is described as an extremely hot, rare hybrid pepper, which was created by crossing a Bhutlah and mustard habanero.
“How do you feel,” Morar asked Ruan, one of the participants. “Perfect,” he replied.
Christopher Wessels (24) looks down as he chews the pepper. His parents, Janine and Johan, are here to support him. “Hold on, my child, hold on!” Janine encouraged him. “We all eat chillies. He can take a lot,” she says. “It’s not far anymore, Christopher”, urges Johan.
Sweat pearl on Charlie’s forehead. His eyes widened as he chewed.
It’s not just for giving up, cash prizes (R10 000, R3 000 and R1 500) and an impressive replacement trophy strap are up for grabs.
Tamsin Botha is the only woman who participated in the competition. (Photo: Jana Smit)
The final round is approaching. “There are six pods. The one who finishes eating first wins,” explains Morar. This chilli breaks Wessels’ speed and he pulls the bucket closer.
Badenhorst’s (46) plate is first empty. He later says that in 2025, at the two annual chili festivals in April and November, he won second and first place respectively in this competition. As a child, he liked peri-peri and other hot foods, he says.
It started in 2010 with hot sauces. First he tested serano (10,000 to 25,000 on the Scoville), and later a Scorpio (1.2 to two million SHUs), he says resignedly about this sauce, which is made from one of the world’s hottest peppers. When he saw an advertisement for the Heckersfees last year, he decided to participate.
Three festival titles later, Badenhorst proved he doesn’t get scared when things get hot.