Brave walkers complete 350 kilometres in 82 hours
The team, who grabbed the hearts of thousands across the country when they walked from the city to the Union Buildings, made quick work with their challenging journey.
His bravery and dedication allowed him to complete the 350-kilometre distance from the city to Pretoria in only three days. Mr Duncan Nyawo’s pilgrimage may not bring an end to the brutal killings of police officers and farmers in the country, but he has given hope to thousands of victims of crime by increasing awareness of this issue.
This was evident as he was met along the route by a farmer who had lost his wife during a farm attack. Nyawo and three companions completed the journey in an astonishing 82 hours, stopping only to sleep for no more than five hours at a time. However, the journey proved to be too much for two of his team mates who had to catch a lift along the way when the exhaustion and pain became too much, but Nyawo bravely soldiered on, completing the entire journey on foot. They departed from Halls Gateway at 08:00 on Monday and arrived in Pretoria around 17:30 on Wednesday. They then marched to the Union Buildings to hand over a memorandum to the government at 10:30 on Thursday.
Messrs Jaco Klopper, Ian Venter and Alex Leitch joined Nyawo in his mission. A fifth member, Mr Sipho Mnisi, joined them in eMalahleni and accompanied them to their final destination. The group made headlines across the country. “We had to overcome many challenges on the way,” Nyawo told Lowvelder. “On Monday we were interrupted by heavy weather and our arrival at Milly’s was delayed by 90 minutes.” Because of the delay, the team had to sleep in a bakkie that night. “Luckily Jaco had a sleeping bag and Alex had a blanket.”
That did not stop them from completing the staggering 122 kilometres from Milly’s to eMalahleni in 17 hours on Tuesday. Leitch suffered minor injuries when blisters developed on his feet and Klopper battled a swollen knee. Each member also had to receive a Voltaren shot for their sore muscles. When the pain became unbearable, two members, Leitch and Venter, caught a lift to Bronkhorstspruit.
Here they met a farmer who was a victim of a horrific attack in 2008. “It was extremely emotional for all of us,” said Nyawo. “The man and his wife were shot in their home. The man is now crippled, physically and emotionally, because he saw his wife die right next to him,” Nyawo said in a choked-up voice. “This angers me, but it also shows me how much this walk actually means to everyone.”
Their meeting fuelled the group to complete the last stretch with smiles on their faces. In Pretoria they were met by members of the press and a number of supporters. Nyawo, who completed the march without complaining once, was humbled by the public’s overwhelming support. “I knew I had a big task, but never did I think it would touch this many people.”
A number of social-media pages were created to show support for the cause. One of them, “Long walk against the killings of police officers and white farmers” gained almost 4 000 supporters in four days.
The five crusaders joined members of AfriForum, Solidarity and Freedom Front Plus leader, Mr Pieter Mulder, for breakfast on Thursday before heading to the Union Buildings.
