Local who travelled from Joburg to CT in his wheelchair says journey wasn’t easy

The Cape Town local who travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town in his wheelchair said the journey did not come without its challenges.
 
Gerard Siebritz said he was assaulted and robbed while passing through Soweto and said a lack of funding often meant going without meals.
 
He added that he and the friend who accompanied him by bicycle spent many nights without accommodation due to limited resources.
  
To mark Disabilities Awareness Month, the Cape Town local journeyed 24 days from Centurion, Johannesburg, to the Cape in his wheelchair accompanied by his friend.
 
Siebritz hit the road with the aim of raising awareness and raising funds for an adapted vehicle capable of transporting up to two disabled persons.
 
He added that starting the journey without a corporate sponsor made the journey unpredictable and unsafe.
 
"Sometimes we slept on the side of the road, in farmer's drains and under bridges and things like that.”
 
While the journey was challenging, Siebritz said it has helped prepare him for the Ironman competition in 2026, and he hopes to shatter his personal best time at the Comrades Marathon.