Two teams from Middelburg dare to face the tough Munga.
The Albert Herbst Children’s Home in Middelburg was a landmark when it was established by the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church in the early 1980s. It provided a home and a future for many children at the time.
In the mid-1990s, the children’s home was closed, and the facility was used as a boarding house for workers on the mines surrounding Middelburg.
In 2023, Johan van Rensburg, Peter Martin and André Brandmuller, who were then the organisers of the Rotary’s Greatest Train Race, saw an opportunity to provide a haven for orphaned, abused and neglected children. A donation of R6m by BHP Billiton, Anglo Coal and Xstrata Coal made the establishment of the Middelburg Care Village NPC possible, and the former Albert Herbst Children’s Home was purchased. The Middelburg Care Village was then born. It started with one orphaned child.
Subsidy leaves funding gap for 108 children
Today, the Middelburg Care Village looks after 108 children who have been placed in its care by the Children’s Court. These children have been removed from places where they have been neglected, traumatised or abused.
Brandmuller said the government subsidy to the Care Village is R4 600 per month per child. The real cost to provide for basic needs such as food, clothing, supervision, education and transport ranges between R8 000 and R10 000 per month per child.
Addressing how these deficits are bridged, Brandmuller said during a formal event last year that there are many prayers, but also many people who roll up their sleeves or, in the case of the Care Riders, ride bicycles to collect money for the orphanage.
Riders tackle 1 148km Karoo route
The group of Middelburgers will take part in the Munga bicycle race from November 25 to 30.
The race begins at The Windmill Lodge in Bloemfontein and ends at Doolhof Wine Estate in Wellington.
It involves cycling 1 148km non-stop along farm roads in the Karoo, starting at 12:00 on November 25, with a cut-off time of 12:00 on November 30.
The Care Riders are participating in the Equipe category, where teams compete against one another, with no outside support vehicles permitted along the route.
The Munga organisers said: “What was once called the toughest race on earth is now something even greater, a journey that becomes your story. The Munga is not about the destination; it is about the journey. It is about the moment you decide to take the first step, to challenge yourself in ways you never have before.
“Every rider arrives with a different story, a different reason, and a different version of the question they need the Karoo to answer. By the time they reach the finish line in Wellington, that question has been answered… and the answer changes everything.”
10 riders take on the Munga
The first Care Riders team consists of Willie van Straaten, André Brandmuller, PC Nel, Jan Montshioa and Corné Ferreira.
The second Care Riders team consists of Riaan van den Berg, Christine Wentzel, Sarel Esterhuizen, Louis Devenish and Johan Odendaal.
- Next week, the Observer will introduce these heroes to readers.
