Klip River’s waves and strong currents a foretaste of challenging Dusi

The Johannesburg Canoe Club’s two-day Klip River Race was an excellent foretaste of this year’s Dusi marathon. The event took place in the Midvaal area last weekend (27 and 28 February). It started above Daleside, through Henley on Klip, and finished in Meyerton.
With two days of 33 km each, including a few kilometres’ portage (run carrying boat), it provided an opportunity for paddlers to earn qualifying points for A-grade river status. It also served as “seeding” for start-batching for the upcoming Dusi event in March.

With huge hail and rainstorms in the Alberton and Henley area on Friday, 26 February, the river was in full flood, with participants paddling over low-level bridges. The running portage coursed around the Henley Kidson Weir grass-lands for safety, but the banks were saturated and swamplike.
Some rapids flattened out with no rocks in sight and were easier to manoeuvre than usual. However, others were very challenging, with powerful waves tossing the boats up in the air. The conditions resulted in numerous swimmers and a few broken boats. This river race was exceptionally challenging and exciting – perhaps on par with what can be expected from a full Dusi in March since the Inanda dam is at capacity.
The highly-talented paddler, Sylvia Nel from Parys, fought her way through the huge waves and strong currents – never giving up – to finish as third sub-grand master (50–59 years).
She finished both days in seven hours and 20 minutes, including boat repairs and numerous long swims. Nel crossed the finish line smiling to collect her alcohol-free beer.

The My Life Dusi will take place from 18 to 20 March 2021, delayed by a month due to the January Covid restric-tions. The Dusi is a three-day endurance event, paddling and carrying the boat/ running up the hills in the Valley of 1000 Hills, through the winding valleys of KwaZulu-Natal.
The river race on the UmsinDusi was first run by a group of ex-army guys in the 60s, led by Ian Player (Gary Players’s brother) and a group of comrades. It has been an annual event ever since.

The Johannesburg Canoe Club, based at Wemmer Pan (the first-ever canoe club to begin in Gauteng), hosted a two-day river race on the Vaal in December (before the flood gates were opened) for Dusi training. Their scheduled two-day Klip River race for January was called off due to the lockdown restrictions.
Fortunately, the club obtained the necessary permission to host it last weekend.

The local Heineken factory generously donated zero-per cent alcohol beer, which proved extremely refreshing for the exhausted paddlers. They also contributed corporate promotional gifts as prizes.

The first and top-finisher was the renowned Sowetan Siseko Ntondini (of Beyond the River movie fame), who held onto his seeding as the top Gauteng paddler. The first woman finisher was also Soweto-based – the junior u.18 Tinyiko Mahwayi.
Paddlers came from across Gauteng – some wanting points for A-grade status or hoping for seeding for a good start at the Dusi. Others just enjoyed the huge white rapid waves frequently found on the river.