A long walk for freedom

On Sunday, April 26, five men set out on a 350km walk from Nelspruit to Pretoria in protest against the killing of police officers and white farmers in South Africa.

Ballito resident Alex Leitch, with Duncan Nyawo (who organised the walk), Ian Venter, Jaco Klopper and Sipho Mnisi concluded their epic walk at the Union Buildings at 12pm on Thursday, April 30, after four long days of determined trekking from 5am to 12am. In doing so they gathered an online following of 4 558 people on Facebook.

This challenging hike was also undertaken as a celebration of the spirit of freedom still alive in our country and after leaving Nelspruit with nothing but a backpack and an iron will, the men marched on the capital bearing a message of unity in the face of widespread national discord.

“None of us had met beforehand, but the friendships we built on this journey are incredible,” said Leitch.

The men plan to do a second walk next month from Jozini to Stanger to raise greater awareness in KwaZulu-Natal of the killing of police officers and white farmers, the poaching of rhinos as well as the xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals.

“It was very tough, but arriving at the Union Buildings as a team felt absolutely amazing,” said Leitch.

Upon arrival, the men were met by a large contingent of national media before Nyawo publicly read and then submitted a memorandum, drawn up by the team, to Parliament.

“Although it is very difficult to change one’s perception, we hope to raise as much awareness as we can for all victims of violence in this country,” said Leitch, as the team plan their next cross-country journey.