Two locals walk 209km from Bushbuckridge to Waterval Boven Tunnel
The men tackled more than 200km in a week to celebrate a milestone.
Inspired by the three young men who recently cycled over 1 700km from Limpopo to Cape Town in just 14 days, two locals have been walking to the Waterval Boven Tunnel in Emgwenya since Thursday, April 17.
Rhinold Mokoena (29) and Makhosini Ngomane (30) said they took on this challenge to celebrate Ngomane’s recovery from a motorbike accident in 2022.
The doctors told Ngomane that he was paralysed from the waist down and would not be able to walk again. He said that he didn’t let the diagnosis affect him, but worked hard to regain his mobility.
“After the accident, I stayed in hospital for nine days and then started physio after being discharged. I did not take long to start recovering. Soon I was taking small steps, and then short walks. The doctors told me that I wouldn’t be able to walk long distances, and here I am tackling a journey of more than 209km without any challenges with my legs,” Ngomane said.
On Monday morning, April 21, the men were in Ngodwana, left with 40km and hoping to reach their destination by the end of the day. They arrived on Tuesday, April 22.
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Mokoena said the walk felt easier when they left their home village, MP Stream near Thulamahashe.
“We have faced many challenges, such as nearly being robbed multiple times, sleeping at petrol stations and enduring the cold rain and scorching sun in some areas. We managed to tackle the stretching R40 from Bushbuckridge and the journey felt a bit better when we got to White River. The N4 is quite fascinating as well and we got to meet people and share our story,” Mokoena said.
They did not have many resources for the trip, but have received a lot of support from their families and neighbours, who sent them money for food and water. They are both unemployed and sometimes earn an income from piece jobs around the community.
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“We hope this will give us the drive to never be scared to take a chance on making our lives better,” Ngomane said.
They documented the journey on their TikTok page, titled butiren28, and said they would attempt another challenge in the near future.
@butiren28
