Soweto to Durban on quad bikes – we help make dreams come true

7 October 2011

Youngsters joined the Quad 4 Quads trip from Soweto to Durban to see the sea

When the Quads 4 Quads annual ride set off on its four-day quad bike trip from Joburg to Durban to raise funds for the QuadPara Association of South Africa, the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA) was quick to step in and bring joy to 10 disadvantaged youngsters from Soweto.

“We were approached by Kgomotso Pooe from Soweto Outdoor Adventures who asked if we would sponsor 10 disadvantaged children from Soweto on this adventure, and it was an offer impossible to turn down,” says Taryn Gill, Communications Manager at GTA. Gill said GTA had just launched a campaign called "I’m a GeePee and this is MY Gauteng", a new project aimed at getting young South Africans on the road and exploring, and was more than happy to donate R8 000 towards the youngsters’ journey.

Riders left on quads and two-wheel motorbikes from Johannesburg on 29 September and ended their journey in Ballito, Durban on 2 October. The return ride left Ballito on 6 October and arrives home in Joburg on Sunday 9 October. Organised by Family Adventures, the event gives youngsters the opportunity of enjoying the off-road ride of a lifetime, while raising money for paraplegics and quadriplegics in South Africa.

“This was an ideal opportunity to give these children the chance of travelling off the beaten track, and seeing the sea for the first time,” says Gill. “Kgomotso’s journey with these youngsters encompassed all the aspects we so admire of ambitious entrepreneurs like him – and to take these kids to Durban on quad bikes, covering 1 000km of rough terrain, is a mind-blowingly good cause to support.

“These kids had never travelled before; they had never seen the ocean. And we at Gauteng Tourism were happy to support their journey and appoint them AmaGeePee ambassadors for our province.”