Beetle beats an African drum

Schoolteacher Jos Oosterbroek must have had enough of flat terrain and tech-savvy children when he set off from Holland to Uitenhage in his air-cooled icon for a 20 000 kilometre trip. Other than a recurring oil leak, the 28-year-old experienced not so much as a flat tyre throughout the entire adventure.

But that is not to say things were boring during his four-month trip.

“People told us we were crazy going through Nigeria,” Oosterbroek said.

But Lady Luck stepped in and Oosterbroek, through Facebook, managed to get in touch with a fellow countryman working in Lagos. In turn, the man convinced his company to sponsor an armed convoy for Oosterbroek through Nigeria.

Another challenge was travelling into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Arriving at Volkswagen’s Uitenhage motor museum Oosterbroek donated the Beetle to VWSA where it is now on display.

The AutoPavilion, which traces VWSA’s history in South Africa from 1946.