Hospitality is vast and ubiquitous. We are completely overwhelmed by the many offers to participate in meals. For the first several days in the country, we are hardly allowed to eat our own food, due to the many invitations.

But South Africa also has a dark side. Although apartheid is a thing of the past, the division in society is still deep and hard to witness. Especially when you come from a small, relatively harmonious country.

Now it's getting REALLY hot

We throw the bikes up the grocery store, sit in the shade on the bare ground. Back to the wall. Opens a 2l Coke and puts it in his mouth. A long mouthwatering sip, disappears in the dry throat. Then one more. Half of the giant soda is already gone. Then we open a buttermilk. Also 2l. Pours it over our oatmeal in the plate and gushes eagerly at us. The dehydrated bodies are brought back to life. 5 minutes later, the 4 liters of liquid have disappeared like dew before the sun. 

The sweat pours off us even though we are sitting in the shade. The thermometer reached 49 degrees just before we rolled into the small village, in front of the Indian grocer. Wanting to boost our blood sugar, we opened our emergency pack of wine gums. They were completely melted together into a sticky mass, so we had to eat them with a spoon. When we get up in the morning we look like someone who has been drinking all night and boxing all morning. Our faces are ruddy and puffy from yesterday's sun and dehydration. 

Our plan was to take an extra 5l of water on each bike, bury them out in the desert so we could come back and get them after a small loop. But that plan is now definitively dead due to the intense heat. Before the sun goes down today, Kenneth alone has drunk 15 liters of liquid. With 200km of broken dirt roads to the next water station, we had to carry 30l of water each on the bikes. Even if we could find the space for it, the bikes would be too heavy in the rough terrain. Pushing the bikes at 3-4km/h would take even longer. It would require even more water. A negative spiral that cannot be reversed. 

One of the locals says to us: "You have just one more week, then it will be REALLY hot!"  

We need to iron out the kinks in our route. The boring straight asphalt road is the only safe option from here. 

Africa's beautiful southernmost country

We are located in northern South Africa. The last country on our cycling expedition from the North Cape to the Cape of Good Hope. Country no. 25. Of these, 20 in Africa. We have been on the continent for a year now and have seen many different ways of living. West Africa in particular was intense in its poverty and overpopulation. In deserted Namibia, that picture changed. We met quite a few people who said: 

“Just wait until you come to South Africa. It is completely like coming to Europe”. 

It is not now. Far away. 

Well, if you squint one eye, this looks nice on the surface. But if you take just a little interest in the country behind the postcard, a different, far more complicated picture emerges quite quickly, of a country with deep open wounds on its soul. 

Admittedly, there are beautiful landscapes here, good infrastructure and there are far more opportunities to shop even in the small towns and the selection is infinitely greater, so we no longer live only on rice and sardines. But the country of South Africa still has many challenges. 

After apartheid

In our safe Danish school days, we learned about the apartheid system. About the inhuman division between blacks and whites. About how farmland, opportunities and welfare went to the whites while the blacks were kept down. It is now 30 years since Nelson Mandela stepped out of the shadow of prison and was elected as the first black president. Hope was high. The distribution of the goods should now fall equally between the races in the country and from there equality and cohesion should grow. But here 30 years later, South Africa's struggle for freedom and equality is like watching a man struggle through wet cement. It is the whites who drive up in front of the nice supermarkets, in their big four-wheel drive vehicles, while the blacks stand behind the cash register, or outside begging. The basic problem is still not solved.

It starts well

The first day we are in South Africa we roll into a campsite in the Richtersveld National Park. We are not allowed to wild camp in the park, so we will be ripped off for almost DKK 900 for the two nights we will spend here. A completely outrageous sum, which is only connected to the fact that we are tourists. For locals and Africans it is much cheaper. 

The campsite is gigantic and beautifully located right by the Oranje river. South Africans like good space and privacy. We quickly spoil that, as we roll the bikes directly between two campers and strike up a conversation with the two pairs of friends who are on holiday together. 

Before 5 minutes have passed, we are wrapped in South African hospitality. We are each placed in our camping chair with a cold beer in hand and answer “Jatak. Thank you very much!” when we are invited to eat with them. The menu is South Africa's number 1 national sport: Braai. That is, food grilled over a fire. We are asked what we think of South Africa, and we are heartily laughed at the answer: "We have only been here for 5 hours, but so far we have to say that it is going very well!. Bowl!!"  

Before we go to bed we are half drunk and stuffed. Our luxury problem is that again tomorrow we have to drag our own food, which we didn't get to eat, over high mountain passes and through sandy riverbeds in the Richtersveld. 

It will not be the last time we experience the great South African hospitality.

Bikepacking galore

We still follow the SAND bikepacking route. It does not disappoint here in South Africa either. The rugged cliffs and dramatic high passes of the Richtersveld are replaced by a detour inland to Namaqualand. A characteristic area which is primarily known for its succulents. So plants with thick watered leaves, such as Aloe Vera. 

Soon we reach the infamous "Road to Hell" pass. Anyone with a 4WD for miles knows this place. Not because they can drive here. But precisely because they CANNOT drive here. The last person who tried is still missing his car, which was left halfway through the pass. On our bikepacking bikes, however, it is a different matter. We have again hit our element and easily sneak around the broken-down car, steer the bikes with slow care over the wild pass and are blown backwards by the raw landscape in front of us. 

The reward is arrival in a deserted river valley, a place where no one comes anymore, due to the traffic jam in the pass. The road ends at the river bank itself. You can't go any further. Unless you take your bike under your arm and walk across the impassable beach. There is about 2km to another 4×4 road, which also ends at the river. From here we can get back up into the mountains. It is a surreal landscape of purple rocks, which stand steeply down into the riverbed. It's pretty amazing to be all alone with only a couple of baboons roaring at us. As well as a few footprints in the sand from a rather large cat!

The next time the route hits the river again, the map shows a 5km path along the river. But there has been flooding recently and the path has been destroyed by the masses of water. Sometimes there is a goat trail. Other times not. When we reach the last bend in the path, and can look forward to the place where we meet a new 4×4 road, a tree blocks our way. The tree grows beyond the goat path and down into the raging stream. Kenneth sticks a long branch in the river. It is more than 2m deep. It is by no means possible to wade in the river outside the tree. 

We are considering the situation. Either we walk almost 5km back along the river, then drag our bikes back up the wild Road To Hell pass, risking running out of water. Or we make a way forward. 

The path is only half a meter wide. On one side, the raging river, on the other is a steep cliff, 20m high. We put the bikes down and reconnoitre. Branches and trees cover the slope. All the branches are full of hawthorns and the ground is loose on the steep slope. But we are optimistic and see an opportunity through the quagmire. 

We must take one bike at a time. We tie a strap in the first one. Marie goes up the slope as far as the strap can reach. Kenneth lifts the bike, Marie pulls and the bike rattles up the steep slope. It is dusty and hot. Already after 2 minutes we are drenched in sweat. There is still a long way to go. A few meters up the slope, we have to tow the bike lengthwise, between logs and scrub. We stand and swing on well-chosen thick branches while we pull and push the heavy bike. We get lacerations on our arms and legs from the long thorns.

Again we have to lift the bike up the steep slope. We've got the hang of the technique. We are filthy and fussy. But we are moving forward. Finally we are at the top. In the middle of a thorn thicket. With pocket knives we have to cut a passage through the thicket, big enough for a bicycle to be pushed through. And then finally – out on the other side. Then we just need the other bike. 

The sun has almost set when we pull the other bike through the scrub on the top, laughing. It has taken well over an hour to get 50m. 

The original inhabitants

It is here in this landscape, on the edge of the Kalahari desert, that the San people have lived for around 50,000 years. The San people are also called bushmen. They are one of the few remaining indigenous peoples who can still live one hundred percent in, with and from nature. They know every animal, every plant. They know the healing and preventive properties of the plants. They know where to find a fat caterpillar to eat, in an otherwise dry, hot and raw desert. 

But they don't live like that anymore. Like all other people of the globe, they have also entered the modern age and have put down the bow and arrow in favor of mobile phones. 

In the West, we can tend to romanticize the indigenous peoples and their life close to nature. We have been guilty of this ourselves. But in Africa we have also seen what this means in concrete terms. That there are also less credible aspects of the original life. Drought brings hunger. Diseases that cannot be cured. But the worst thing is that modern society rumbles by, while the indigenous people remain in their culture and traditions. This means that the distance will be greater. And this especially means that respect and understanding become less when, in the modern world, we want to exploit the forest, the land, the animals, the natural resources. In that battle, it is again and again the indigenous people who lose. And they unfortunately lose a lot, because it is their entire basis of existence that we take away from them.

Load shedding

At the next camp, we are again offered cold beer, even before we have parked the bikes. Beer leads to food. Food leads to exciting conversations about South Africa. 

"Do you know that Nelson Mandela's village has not had electricity for 4 years?". 

It is a popular way of describing the huge problems South Africa has with electricity. However, most cities have electricity, but not all day. There are scheduled power outages every day. The so-called "load shedding". This causes huge problems in the otherwise fairly modern country. Because how can you run a hospital or an industry in 2024 when there are power cuts all the time? This presents gigantic challenges for the economy. It is a very good example of how South Africa has failed to run the country in a profitable way for the last 30 years with the black party ANC in power. There is great and growing dissatisfaction with the economic downturn. 

We get the feeling that many whites have sat back, arms crossed, as they watched the shot take in water. Then they sat in their arrogance and said to each other and to those who would listen: 

“Look – they can't figure it out. Nothing works. We are all getting poorer”. 

On the other hand, the blacks have a different story: 

“Imagine taking over the keys to a house. The previous owner knows every room, every door, every corner. Because he built the house himself. But now we take over the keys and open the front door to a house we don't know inside and out, but which needs to be completely renovated". 

There is no doubt that it takes time to abolish apartheid, to build a new foundation for society, to create equality and cohesion where there is reluctance and disgust. But there is also no doubt that the ANC does not have the power to carry out that task. 

The divide between them and us

We find it difficult to get in touch with the blacks. And we wonder, because throughout Africa, until now, it has been easy to talk to everyone. We have been used to the fact that as soon as we stop, people come over and talk. Or we can easily start conversations with everyone ourselves. 

But here, in South Africa, it is difficult to make contact with the blacks. We also don't see as many black people in the city as we are used to. Mostly white people. Despite the fact that there are only 20% whites in the country, and 80% blacks. 

Often we feel that black people distance themselves from us. There is usually a neutral coolness when we try to talk to people. 

On a bench in front of a grocery store in a small village, however, we meet a young black woman. The Indian who owns the grocery store prays at noon, so the business is closed for an hour. This gives time for a good chat on the bench. 

The young woman is trusting and tells us that we can buy vegetables in the village. But they are expensive because some of the town's men have to fetch the vegetables from far away and sail them down the river. But first they must steal them in the white man's field. 

She has probably talked over herself, but it gives us an accurate picture of what we already sense. The gap between blacks and whites is as great as ever. Apartheid may well have been abolished, but mutual respect is still a long way off. You tolerate each other's presence because you know it cannot be otherwise. 

But class society is still intact. The blacks are usually poorly educated and have very little income. Some feel compelled to commit crime in order to survive. You probably feel you have the right to take from the whites, just as they once took from the blacks when they took over the country. 

On the other side of the fence, the white farmer, according to the girl, will not hesitate to kill a black man if he does not have a good explanation for what he is doing in the white man's field. 

They have not succeeded in creating a balanced society where equality is tolerable and where respect thrives. Neither historically nor now. This is despite the fact that South Africa is Africa's largest economy and that all prerequisites for economic growth are available in the country, which has fantastic agricultural land, great tourism and diamonds in the underground. 

South Africa has 12 official languages

But perhaps it is not a coincidence that apartheid arose precisely in South Africa. There are more groupings than just black and white. The blacks consist of many different population groups, with about 10 different languages. Most of the groups have been forced to flee through Africa over time and have ended up here. But the groups don't like each other and fight each other. 

Between blacks and whites, there is the colored population. They fight like a louse between two nails. They refuse to be black, but are not accepted as white either. 

The whites are divided into Africans, those who emigrated from Holland, and those of British descent. Between these two groups we also feel aloofness and lack of respect. 

In other words, South Africa is still a complex society with great internal tensions and huge cultural differences. 

Everything can be repaired in Africa

The SAND route takes us to the cozy town of Springbok, where we stay for a few days and replenish our calories. As always, we stay at a campsite. As always, we quickly fall into conversation with friendly white South Africans. As always, we are invited to the braai. It is absolutely amazing to experience how social, trusting, hospitable, open and friendly people are. We talk through the evening about South Africa and the racial differences and our new friends are completely open and honest about the country, its problems and their own attitudes. It is a pleasant, open, curious conversation that leaves us wiser and with a more nuanced view of the racial differences in the country. 

We stay for a few days and get to know the bikes. And here Kenneth discovers one of the few things you don't want to experience on a long bike ride. Kenneth's bicycle frame is cracked. It's not that serious yet. But we doubt whether the bike can handle the rest of the distance to Capetown. 

Through new friends we have met David. A mechanical engineer from the University of Stellenbosch who lives here in Springbok. A super sweet and good guy. Kenneth calls him. 30 seconds into the conversation he says: 

"It's probably best if I come and collect you and the bike". 

15 minutes later, a 30-year-old, sky-blue Toyota Highlux in perfect condition rolls into our campsite. David behind the wheel. 

We go out to his father, who is a retired engineer, with a home workshop. 

3 men squat silently in front of the bicycle and think. Few words are exchanged. There is agreement on the sustainability of the plan. David's father manufactures a steel splint which is glued around the fracture with epoxy. Fingers crossed that it lasts all the way to Capetown. 

On the way back to our camp, David tells us that unfortunately almost everyone his age is racist. It must be so crazy to live in a country where you are constantly so embarrassingly aware that you are a divided population who don't like each other. However, David is a good guy who talks to everyone. 

We want equality for all

Here, a month after we crossed into South Africa, we still haven't seen a single black family at the many campsites we've stayed at. We also don't see blacks in the many large four-wheel drive vehicles. Unless they are standing in the barn, as workers for the white man behind the wheel. We meet many white South Africans who want to talk about apartheid and the time after. When we ask, we always get the same answer. Our question is rooted in our belief in how society can become more equal. The question is: 

“Has a middle class of black South Africans come? Are there black businessmen, lawyers, highly educated?”. 

The answer is: 

“They are on their way. There aren't many. But little is happening”. 

We believe that only when blacks and whites are equally well educated and have equally good jobs, there is social balance and thus equality in all sectors. But there is obviously still a long way to go. Very long way!

But we still wonder where this separation comes from. How did apartheid come about?

In many ways, South Africa resembles the United States. The culture and friendliness are very similar. But also the great importance of the church and not least the large wave of settlers who shaped the countries. Just like in the USA, it was Europeans who landed on the coast and settled. From there, the most courageous and enterprising and who knows – perhaps the most liberal and fond of arms – moved inland to start their own free lives in an untrodden world. (Untrodden by Europeans mind you). 

With the blessing and strength of the church, they established themselves in this foreign land. Think of the effort it took. How much courage it has required. What overcomings you have had to overcome. It has required a special type of people to create that life from scratch. And maybe that type of people, regardless of their strengths and courage, are not the ones who have had the best prerequisites for, or interests in, integrating with a completely different culture. We don't know…

But what we do know is that we pray table prayer with people who invite us to braai. We talk to people. Trying to understand. We just hope that soon we will also meet some young progressive blacks who can tell their part of the story. 

There is hope for the future

The hope for South Africa was shown in the last election, in the month of May 2024. The ANC, Nelson Mandela's party, which has led South Africa since the dissolution of apartheid, did NOT get the majority of the votes for the first time. Their decline means that for the first time they had to form a government together with other parties. All the South Africans we have spoken to see this as a good thing. As a way forward towards better control of the economy, less corruption and general order to things. The ANC, which is still the largest party and has a black president, started out as a party of freedom but has never been able to satisfactorily rise to the task of running a state. But the future with the new coalition looks bright, according to those we speak to. 

And there are concrete signs of improvement already. Because only a few months after the election, there was suddenly electricity for everyone, around the clock. 

When we ask how it can be fixed so easily, and why it hasn't been fixed before, if it really was that easy, the answer points to the ubiquitous corruption and crime. 

Coal trucks had their cargo stolen or swapped. People say the trucks arrived at the power plants with water instead of coal.

No one can answer how the problems are solved. But the cooperation between, squarely speaking, a black and a white party in the government points to a better future for Africa's largest economy. 

Now it is not as far as it used to be

We have now been in South Africa for a month. In Africa for a whole year. 

South Africa is a very beautiful and easy country to travel in. The infrastructure is good. Every little spot has a good grocery store, with plenty of selection in good goods. We eat well and gain weight, despite the fact that the cycling is still hard and demanding. But we recover better. 

We meet many whites who live culturally close to us Danes. This means that our brains and minds are not constantly working overtime to understand, to fit in, to learn cultural codes, difficult languages, different customs. Also our mind relaxes, shoulders come down. 

We can now see how under pressure we have also been in West Africa. We had many clashes and arguments. We were constantly out of our comfort zone. But we also miss the wildness and the daily challenges of creating meaning in chaos. 

Just like the cyclists in any big cycling race "roll off", so we also feel that we "roll off" in every way in South Africa. It is probably very healthy for body, mind and soul. 

The trip is coming to an end. There is less than 1,000km until we park the bikes in Capetown. We have already completed 30,000 km since the North Cape. Our equipment is getting well worn. There are holes in the underpants. The mattresses lose air. The flare oozes black smoke and coughs and chops. The tent is riddled with ants and termites. The sandals stink of sour toes. In short – the end is near. 

We have reached southern South Africa. Right now we are 40km from Cape Agulhas. Africa's southernmost point. We have left the SAND route in favor of the beautiful stretch of coast along the Atlantic Ocean, up towards Capetown. 

It is cold at night. We've completely forgotten what it's like to freeze. But in recent days we have had stormy weather with hail and night frost. We no longer have either shoes or rain pants. Summer was supposed to be on its way. 

Agulhas is waiting ahead. The last part of the adventure occurs. The last stretch towards the Cape of Good Hope is up along the beautiful Atlantic coast. The home run!