About
I’m a full-stack engineer based in Durban. I build web apps end to end, mostly in TypeScript, Next.js and Postgres. Some of that is long-term platform work, and some of it is sites and apps for my own clients.
How I got here
I didn’t get to engineering in a straight line. I started out just wanting to be useful and filling whatever gaps needed filling. The first one was video, so I taught myself video. A lot of YouTube, a lot of getting it wrong.
From there it just kept going. Video turned into production work, that turned into building the tools the team needed, and eventually that turned into engineering. What I was making kept changing, but the actual job never really did. I like figuring out problems and handing over something that works.
What I care about
I’ve got a simple rule for what I build: it should add something to someone’s life, not quietly take from it. If a product only really works by taking advantage of the people using it, I’m not interested.
A lot of what I’ve worked on has been aimed at helping people put their lives back together. Seeing that actually happen is probably the best reason I’ve got to take this seriously.
How I work
Honestly, a lot of how I build these days is AI-assisted, and I’d rather just say so. The bit that’s actually me is judgement. I know what’s already been built and what the problem really is, so when something looks right but isn’t, I usually catch it before it ships. I’ve been in these systems long enough to know where they break.
Outside the keyboard
I was born in Johannesburg, grew up in Mauritius, and I’ve been in Durban since school. The island is the part that stuck. It’s where I got my love of the ocean and a pretty relaxed way of going about things. Barefoot and shorts, mostly.
I throw disc golf. I won my division at the SA Open in 2026 by nine strokes, though it was also the lowest division, so I keep it in perspective. I take the game seriously, I just don’t take myself too seriously at it. The thing I like about it is that you can’t take a throw back. With sewing you can always grab more material and start over, but in disc golf you throw and then you deal with wherever it lands. I can’t blame the disc.
I sew as well. I got into it because I couldn’t find shirts I liked, so I figured I’d make my own. The first one came out too big, the seams were a mess, and I never actually got around to putting the buttons on. I take the odd commission these days. I like being able to hold something I’ve made, and fabric doesn’t forgive much, which keeps me honest.
Other than that: around thirty board games (Wingspan, Arcs and The Gang are the current favourites), a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, and quoting Nacho Libre more than I probably should.
What I’m building next
I’m building Hyzer Dev Studio, a small practice for websites and apps, named after a disc golf term. Down the line I want it to cover more than software, woodwork and sewing included. Not separate businesses, just one way of making things. Over the next couple of years I’d like it to become the main way I provide for my family.
Mostly I just want to keep working on things that are good for people, or that help them get to a better place. The medium doesn’t matter much to me, I’ll happily do the logic, the building or the design.