THE life of Durban cyclist, Siyabonga Njiva, was turned upside down on Sunday, 7 May when he was injured in a hit-and-run incident as he was crossing Anton Lembede (Smith) Street at about 9pm.
The driver of the vehicle, stopped and got out, looked at where Siya was lying and fled the scene on foot. The vehicle has been impounded by police. Siya was taken to Addington Hospital with serious injuries including four breaks in his right leg and a break on his right elbow.
He will have to undergo surgery for pins to be inserted in his broken leg. Now an appeal is being made to the Durban cycling community to support Siya by donating into a trust account that will be used for his costs over the coming months.
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According to Shaun Peschl from Peschlsports, Siya is one of the country’s top semi-professional cyclists who also plays a huge role in developing younger athletes in the City’s Go Durban Cycle Academy.
“Our concern is that if the operation is not done in the next few days, this could ultimately affect Siya long term in his profession which will be agreat loss for us in the cycling industry, especially for the younger kids who look up to him as a role model,” said Shaun.
The Siya Njiva Trust Account is in the process of being set up for the riding community to donate to his rehab process which is going to take a long time.
“My husband Chris and I have stood in the wings and watched and supported Siya’s development over the years. His main passion has always been to give back to the community. It has been a privilege to witness him achieve his goals,” said Maureen Rudham, who appealed to the community to support the worthy cause.
Siya is currently employed with Shaun, and undertakes MTB training and coaching for private clients. He was promoted to head coach of the Durban Green Corridor Academy by Shaun Perchel and currently runs the development programme for disadvantaged children in the Inanda area.
Siya started trail building at Giba Gorge in 2006 and was first employed as a track builder and trail guide for cyclists from 2008 until March 2009. He then worked for Ian Wilson at Single Track Minded and continued to work as a trail guide for Ian’s AMA Angels ladies mountain biking group.
It was during that time that he developed his skills in bike maintenance. In 2008 he worked part-time for Cycle Lab and was employed as one of their maintenance team at the Sani2C 2009.
On 28 December 2009 he accompanied Ian on a guided bike trail/tour down the South Coast where he guided and supported guests with cleaning and being a porter. He encouraged the weak riders and helped them through each day.
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In July 2011 he was sponsored by Imana Foods to ride the Imana Wild Ride (a four day event along the Wild Coast). It was ‘a dream come true’ for Siya, and without a doubt the highlight of his MTB career was being awarded an Exxaro Develoal pment Academy bursary that enabled him to enter and complete ABSA Cape Epic 2012 and 2013.
In 2014/2015 he was sponsored by Kargo Express Road Freight Distributors and was a member of their professional riding team.
He is a top cyclist for Peschlsports, one of the top professional cycling teams and development programmes in South Africa, which has sent athletes to Olympic Games and world championships over the last 10 years.
Anyone interested in contributing to The Siya Njiva Trust Account, contact Shaun on 083 453 6207.
Bank account details are: Account name: Prop-Ad Trust Account; FNB Account number: 50870042302; Davenport Road branch code: 220226; Reference: Siya.
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