Phumlani Dywili decided to walk more than 400km to raise funds for struggling students. The walk started on February 9 in Greenfields, Alberton, and took him to Bloemfontein in the Free State.

Commenting on the fundraiser, Dywili said, “The objective for this campaign was to raise funds for disadvantaged tertiary students towards their registration fees, accommodations, book allowances and, possibly, give them three months’ allowance, depending on their immediate needs.”

Dywili camped at petrol stations on the N1 towards Bloemfontein.

“From the Greenfields taxi rank, I walked past Sky City towards the R59 and my first stop at Sasolburg, where I camped overnight at the filling station. I then walked from Sasolburg to Kroonstad. Along the way, I bumped into strangers cheering me on, giving me water and energy bars, and encouraging me to keep going. It was a difficult but worthy walk,” Dywili told the Alberton Record.

Dywili said heavy rain caught him on some stretches of the long road. From Kroonstad, he walked to Ventersburg and arrived in Bloemfontein on February 14, a six-day walk.

“It was a tough and emotional journey, yet exciting, educational and mind-opening. Once I fully recover, I will do it again,” he said.

Dywili took leave from his job to do the walk, which he says left him with swollen legs, sore feet and exhaustion. His BackABuddy fundraiser, 1Million for my studies, aims to raise R1m.

Click: 1Million for my studies to donate or follow Dywili’s journey on Facebook at Phumlani Phush Dywili or uMzansistudentfund on TikTok.