Olebogeng Kgengwe, an avid cyclist from Bloemfontein, pushed through rivers, pelting rain, strong wind and snow on his 1600 kilometre journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town in the hope of collecting 1600 pairs of school shoes for children in need. The aim is to donate the school shoes to three schools in Bloemfontein and two in Botshabelo.
The schools are Unity Primary School, Tshololetsang Primary, Amohelang Primary, Phalang Primary and Rutanang Primary.
Olebogeng, who is also a Cycle Club member of the Central University of Technology team, says he has always wanted to do something meaningful with his love for cycling to support children in need.
“I was inspired to start this project when I once saw a child being chased away from school because they were wearing tekkies and not formal school shoes. I felt that it’s not fair and I feel like every child should get an equal opportunity for education,” he says.
He started his journey on 23 May at Three Rivers Lodge in Johannesburg and arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday (31/5). According to him, the first day did not get off to a good start, as the roads were wet and muddy. “I slept for an hour in Winburg before I made my way to Bloem. Once I got to Bloem, I had to fix mechanical problems on my bike and slept for four hours. The next day I continued my journey, but I stopped at Tom’s Place to get some coffee in my system. This warmed me up and I could then take on the next stretch to Colesberg. I could sleep for three hours once I got there,” he says.
“I left at around 03:00 and just five kilometres out of Colesberg I had to stop because my knees were ice cold and I could not peddle any further. I ended up sleeping in a space blanket and a sleeping bag just so that I could warm up and wait for the sun to come up. I then managed to push through to Hanover, which was my halfway mark to Cape Town, and from there to Richmond where I spent the night. The next morning I made my way to Loxton.” According to Olebogeng, a farmer in Loxton told him that he was crazy for taking on the journey as there was a cold front forecast for the weekend. He says the conditions were very bad just before Sutherland, which slowed him down.
“I slept there for the evening and I was planning to cycle early the next morning, but when I woke up it was raining already. I cycled through a storm and at some point snow as well, but I pushed through. Passing through the Tankwa Karoo National Park was the hardest part of the entire journey because at this point, I was cold and I was hungry, as my food had run out. By the time I arrived at the padstal in Tankwa, the restaurant was closed and I slept in the toilet – soaking wet and hungry,” he says. The next morning the restaurant owner donated two pairs of shoes as he was inspired by Olebogeng’s journey. According to Olebogeng, his nineday journey was a tough one.
He has appealed to the community of Bloemfontein to assist him in reaching his goal of 1600 pairs of shoes. Contact Olebogeng on 071 029 5359 to make a donation.
Justine Fortuin
