06 Jul 2017

For many people the thought of walking barefoot out of choice in a harsh environment is a sad reminder of their painful past when they used to brave the chilly winters to school and herding cattle.

This was usually a result of lack of shoes to protect against the elements of weather.

Not for the quartet of Willie Badenhorst, Corban Bricant, Carl Buckmaster and Eric Magetse who braved the harsh terrain of the Makgadikgadi to walk barefoot in an effort to raise awareness on the fate of endangered species such as the rhino, African wild dog and cheetah.

The four friends who all studied in Gaborone at Maruapula and Westwood explained that the idea of walking barefoot on its own was symbolic.

“In a world where everyone wears one form of shoe or another, walking barefoot turns heads and forces people to take note,” said Badenhorst.

The quartet are members of the Barefoot Adventurers Club whose objective is to raise funds and promote conservation, education and sustainability by doing extraordinary expeditions that raise awareness on some of the issues that affect the African continent.

Members of the club could be seen interacting with participants at the just ended Race for Rhinos event in Sua Pan.

As part of their campaign, Barefoot Adventurers Club members raise funds and contribute to beneficiaries which are making a significant step in preserving and conserving Africa’s endangered species such as Mokolodi Nature Reserve, Tlhokomela Botswana Endangered Wildlife Trust, Elephant Without Borders all in Botswana and Greenpop in South Africa.

The group is currently on an expedition to raise awareness and hope to drive a Tuk Tuk from Cape Town to Nairobi in Kenya, a real rough unaided adventure through the African continent.

The expedition will see the team driving over 7 000km through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, ending up in Kenya, with the potential to go further.

The estimated time of completion is set at three to four months to allow for visits to conservation programmes along the route as well as for unseen events.

This venture will be attempted without vehicular support as the team would rely on themselves to maintain and repair the Tuk Tuk, as well as accommodate themselves.

The club members have set themselves a goal of raising a minimum of US$10 000 to donate towards the beneficiaries and highlight conservation efforts and initiatives in each country travelled through and not to break down and complete the expedition.

The idea behind using a Tuk Tuk as a mode of travel by club members, they argued, was to challenge themselves and turn heads as it is not common in this part of the continent.

“For a new club we are already making an impact in conservation circles despite the obvious challenges that we face,” added Brincat.

For his part, Magetse who is the only locally based member of the club highlighted that they realised that there are many conservation projects focusing on conserving endangered species which lack publicity.

Consequently, Buckmaster explained that through this expedition they go around filming such projects for charities as part of their contribution to environmental protection.

He also noted that currently conservation of endangered species was the most pressing issue for most countries in Africa.

During the Race for Rhinos event, the Tuk Tuk became a popular hit with those in attendance.

The 436cc engine three wheeled car has a maximum speed of 45km/hr and can do roughly 30km per liter, holding 10.5 liters of diesel in its belly.

 According to Badenhorst, they will be able to get close to 300km per tank depending on the weight and hills.

“The car also boasts of a powerful engine which uses advanced technology with extra horse power for a smooth drive on rough or hilly terrain and has a load capacity of 500kg,”he explained.

From Botswana the club members will be heading to Zambia where they will attend a conservation festival and visit environmental projects at the Kafue National Park.

Their biggest challenge, they noted, is getting the conservation message across and ensuring that many people become involved in the protection of endangered species. ENDS