Watch: Vusi Sindane recounts cycling from Limpopo to Cape Town

So many lessons can be learned and so many stories can be told after one travels the length of South Africa. How much more so when that person is cycling on their own from Limpopo to Cape Town.

Vusi Sindane completed 3,000 km over 37 days in April and May, in an effort to raise funding for 10 000 pairs of school shoes made of recycled plastic. Sitting with the Randburg Sun after his epic journey, the Jukskei Park resident explained he was feeling strong in body and spirit.

“The highlight for me was seeing the different areas,” he smiled. “The sheer beauty of South Africa is incredible. From the game of Limpopo and its savannahs with thick vegetation to the pine trees of Mpumalanga and the mountains of Barberton. KwaZulu-Natal’s sugar plantations and the forever-green land, Eastern Cape’s stunning hills, small rondavels and hills right under the clouds. Of course, the Garden Route is so picturesque, and most people experience it in a car so you can imagine what that was like for me on a bike.”

The guest houses and homes of friends and strangers he met along the way, were the perfect resting points for Sindane to connect with the people and cultures of the land. “I’ve worked in corporate and coming from Joburg you are skeptical about crime and people welcoming you, but it is all false. They will have nothing but will bring a tub out for you to wash yourself. People are so friendly and neither I nor my bike were ever at risk.”

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He was however stranded one night 50km between locations and had to pitch a tent in the veld. “I had never camped before so I had to look up a video on YouTube about what poles go where. During the night I heard some rustling right by my head outside the tent. I was terrified. My blood drained away but it turned out to be a flap of the tent blowing in the wind. But I later found out there are baboons and leopards in that area.”

He said to ride a 40kg bicycle 10 hours a day was a struggle, and the physical challenge almost affected his determination. “In the Drakensberg, I had a bit of a meltdown because it was one peak after another. Every time you reached the top of one you had to ride up another.” Sindane reduced his target of 100-120km per day to 60-80km, put less pressure on himself, and stopped to rest and explore more often. “I had the time of my life and felt in some ways I actually started my journey then.”

So far 3 250 pairs of school shoes have been donated, so Sindane is still collecting funding. He will be doing talks for businesses, schools and other groups, and taking tours out to help with this.

More information about this can be found at www.vusisindane.com. He thanked all the donors and his family for their support during the ride.

Also read:

Jukskei Park cyclist rides from Musina to Cape Town for school shoes