UBHEJANEX hosted a fundraising potjie competition at the Shongweni Club near Hillcrest on November 5.
uBhejaneX is a registered NPO, which director Conrad Coetzee says supports rhino conservation initiatives. The organisation holds an annual, non-stop, 16-hour mountain bike event from Hillcrest and Ballito to Hilltop Camp in the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Game Reserve.
ALSO READ: Keep the five alive – it’s World Rhino Day!
Coetzee says, “We try to raise as much money as possible for the rhinos. The potjie competition is a smaller fundraising event, which leads up to our bigger event. Most of the teams who competed were in some way part of the cycling fraternity. We have raised approximately R3m over the last few years for rhino conservation. It’s not a huge amount of money, but every little bit helps.”
The event saw 20 teams participating in the second edition of the competition, which had no prescribed flavour categories. Byron and Kerry Becker’s lamb-curry potjie was declared the winning meal by the judges – Johno Kelsey and 1000 Hills Chef School advanced programme students Jenna Smit, Kuhlekonke Manzi and Samira Govender.
Coetzee said the event successfully raised more than R10 000 for their rhino fund, and the organisation was grateful to the Shongweni Club that donated the use of the venue, staff to assist and rice to accompany the potjies.
ALSO READ: Rhino Peak Challenge puts wildlife conservation first
Desiree Maarschalk, owner of the 1000 Hills Chef School said, “We are proud to be supporting such a worthy cause. Our student judges had a lot of fun and tasted some great potjies. It was a wonderful opportunity for our advanced programme students to practise and put the many skills they have learnt over the last two years to good use.”
The Beckers won a trophy and voucher for a meal at the newly opened Hillcrest restaurant, The Black Rabbit.
For more information: www.ubhejanex.org
