One of the Lowveld’s favourite sons, TJ Maré, survived a motorcycle accident, sustaining superficial injuries, in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday.
He is the CEO of the Nelspruit Community Forum, a chairperson of the KLCBT and the chairperson of the Mpumlanga Leadership Foundation.
Maré was wearing full protective motorcycling kit and believes this prevented serious injury. “We live by the code ‘dress for the slide, not for the ride’. I was wearing proper protective clothing from the boots to the head,” said Maré when Lowvelder spoke to him earlier this afternoon.
He and fellow Nelspruit 911 rider, Lazyja Steyn, were on their way to St Lucia via Kosi Bay to meet up with the Pediatric Care Africa (PCA) Ride for a Child motorcycle tour. The plan was to accompany the PCA bikers on their last leg of the tour back to Mbombela.
The pair had decided to take roads less travelled on which Maré hit a cow in the rural area Lulwane in far-northern KwaZulu-Natal, not far for the eSwatini and Mozambican borders.
The bovine ran out into the road from the right and hit the right side of the front of “Robin Good”, as he affectionately refers to his steed.
“It was a very fast moment. I went over the cow and then went down. I am thankful to God, because I landed on a very soft patch of sand. Once I got up and was still intact, I counted my blessings,” said Maré.
The BMW 1250 GS is at Richard’s Bay. According to Maré, much of the damage is cosmetic and a full evaluation will be made before the mechanical damage can be determined.
“We first tried to patch the bike up with duct tape, thinking we would be able to travel on, but I discovered a hole in the radiator and that would cause damage to the engine, so we were stuck,” he said.
“The accident happened right in front of the house of the chief of the area. He came to see what happened and asked if he could do anything for me. The local community came to offer help. The SAPS stopped and helped. Thank you to everyone who called and inquired about my welfare. My local BMW dealer (BMW Motorrad Mbombela) phoned and helped me, too.
“I hurt my ankle. It was painful last night, but feels better today. My right shoulder also took a knock and was painful yesterday, but is better today,” Maré said.
He will ride back to Mbombela as a passenger on Steyn’s motorcycle.
“My bride, Brenda, said she prayed for my protection; that is why no harm came to me. I am grateful to God for his protection. For me to get up and continue the journey is an absolute miracle. We give glory to God for that,” he said.
The PCA Ride for a Child motorcycle tour will arrive at White River Square tomorrow.
