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Kelebohile Hlabahlaba is preparing for his Cairo to Cape Town world record cycling journey after completing his 28-day warm-up tour.
Finishing the Lesotho-Eswatini-Botswana Warm-Up challenge in only 28 days encouraged the 30-year-old cyclist, Kelebohile Hlabahlaba, to take on his World Record Cycling Expedition Challenge.
Hlabahlaba cycled from his hometown, Theunissen, in the Free State to the mountainous country of Lesotho. He passed through KwaZulu-Natal into Eswatini and Botswana before finishing back in the Free State. This warm-up challenge was to fuel and prepare for his upcoming Egypt-South Africa tour.
Hlabahlaba will embark on a 10 000 km cycling tour from Cairo to Cape Town with the aim of breaking the cycling world record and raising funds for a network of tuck shops called Nalane Groceries. Nalane Groceries aims to create jobs for about ten thousand youngsters.
Kelebohile Hlabahlaba received a heroic welcome after 28 days on the road cycling from his hometown of Theunissen through various provinces and countries.
His cycling tours are driven by his burning vision to create thousands of jobs for young people through a network of tuck shops and supermarkets.
Hlabahlaba believes that his trip from Cairo to Cape Town will resurrect the dignity and the integrity of others. However, this desire was born out of sacrifice and bravery when he quit his job in 2025 to embark on a cycling journey, which began with a tour to Namibia. This move left many, including his parents, shocked, and his community inspired.
“It was a risk. It was a sacrifice that didn’t sit well with my family because my source of income was contributing greatly to our household matters, so resigning was a huge risk. However, the burning desire within me couldn’t be ignored. I couldn’t just stay at home and keep working while that passion burned inside me, so I bought the bike, knowing that I was preparing myself for the world record,” says Hlabahlaba.
His parents say this came out of nowhere. They say when he left for the warm-up cycle tour at the beginning of February, they were overwhelmed with fear and doubt. His father, Modise and Mother Mankwane, expressed relief.
“After getting his passport, I heard him say that he had bought a bicycle, yet he wasn’t riding a bike here at home. In fact, I had not seen him go anywhere with a bicycle. But when he was there, he told me he had bought one. All of a sudden, he also said that the next month would be his last month at work. I was very surprised,” says his father, Modise.
“The family accompanied him when he started his tour. I could not go there; instead, I stayed at home and started praying,” says his mother, Mankwane.
The warm-up tour of more than two thousand kilometres also brought its own challenges. His bike took a beating in the mountainous terrain of Lesotho – fortunately, with some assistance, he got a new bike. Not discouraged by the setbacks, he finished his tour earlier than the estimated 30 days.
“The mountains in Lesotho were too big. My old bike wouldn’t have survived those high cliffs, the steep slopes, and the gravel roads along the Sunny path. It was a giant; to me, it was a Goliath. The entire journey was very emotional because I was on a limited budget and without sponsorship. In Swaziland, I was also stranded and had to beg people for accommodation. However, the burning desire is still there, and it grows every day,” he adds.
He left his old beat-up bike in Lesotho, and along the way, he met some good Samaritans, who assisted him on his journey
“Because I know how it feels for someone to be stranded away from home and how difficult it can be, I said to myself, ‘Let me just assist him until he fulfils his dream and becomes whatever he wants to become,” says a good Samaritan.
“On his first trip to Namibia, I was so inspired by this person, who is very courageous and determined. That’s when I started following him on Facebook. I told him that I am a massage therapist and offered to provide my services whenever he is around to help his body relax,” adds another good Samaritan.
Hlabahlaba needs about three hundred thousand rand for the journey from Cairo to Cape Town. The cyclist is appealing to financial sponsors to come on board, cycling gear companies, help with accommodation, food supplies or media coverage.
He says Lejweleputswa District Municipality and the Masilonyana Local Municipality have pledged their support, with several individuals also contributing wherever they can. He is set to begin the expedition in June this year.
