They will be travelling 3 500km in tuk-tuks across the country to raise money for a hospice and also St Francis Care Centre.
Their route will take them to small towns like Prince Albert, Hertzogville, Harrismith and large cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
The journey starts at the hospice on December 27 and finishes in Cape Town on January 11.
“The trip was inspired by a similar tuk-tuk race through India in which competitors are required to raise money for charity,” says Ingrid Plantagie.
“In this case, the boys have decided to explore their own country, South-Africa.”
They will be racing three tuk-tuks between them.
“The boys love spending time with the little ones at the St Francis Centre’s Rainbow Cottage, and it’s not often that the children get the opportunity to play rowdy and boisterous games unless these matric boys come over to play.
“The boys all admire the late Father Stan Brennan hugely, as he established the care centre against enormous odds and was a stalwart anti-Apartheid activist.”
The boys are matriculants at St John’s College, Bishop Bavin School, Beaulieu College and St Benedicts College.
All seven boys live in Ekurhuleni and are committed to helping community projects in their area.
The boys have all been friends for years, mostly through their sporting connections.
Ayrton da Silva, the founder of the project, along with Thomas Coward and Sebastian Julicher, has all rowed internationally. Brenden Crawford is currently in the South African swimming team.
“Michael Greeff is the geeky, but good-looking glue that holds the team together, Lebo Mota is the clear comedian and Ruan Brashaw is the tough guy who will take on tough situations.”
The two other members are Adrian Burger, Trevor Byrom and Miguel.
Tuk-tuks may be a common sight in Asia, but they’re only just catching on in South Africa.
“They are small and compact and have the tiniest of engines – glorified lawnmowers really.”
Other than a small roof, they are open to all weather conditions, so the tuk-tuks are not usually used on long journeys.
However, the boys are hoping that the quirky and novel looks of the tuk-tuks will attract attention wherever they go.
They want to raise money for St Francis Care Centre through sponsorships and donations.
They are hoping that this will be just the first race of this kind through the country and that it could become an annual event, to provide a sustainable income for charities across South-Africa. – @IschkeBoksburg
