Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub
DAREDEVIL biker Johane Nyagura yesterday rode his way into Botswana, en-route to Ghana, from Zimbabwe on an ambitious and yet solo 25 000 kilometre adventure.
Nyagura set off from Harare on his motorbike last Friday, where he was treated to a special send-off by his family, while members of the Zim-Bikers Association escorted him up to Chivhu.
He arrived in Johannesburg the following day and took a two-day rest, during which he also serviced his bike before proceeding into Botswana on a 356-kilometre ride.
In Botswana, Nyagura is taking another day to rest before covering approximately 1 090 kilometres into Namibia.
“It will be at least three months before I return home, the journey began on Friday when I did a 1 122km ride into Johannesburg and then proceeded into Botswana,” he said.
“I set myself targets every day, so when I left Johannesburg, the goal of the day was to clock 500 kilometres before calling it a day. For my rest throughout the journey, I love to camp, so I travel with my camping tent, cooking utensils, gas stove, and food supplies with an allowance to restock along the way.”
However, in some cases, the biker will be hosted by his friends and fellow bikers from different nations and nationalities.
According to his plan, 55 days of the trip are meant for riding while 30 have been set aside for rest between the rides.
Nyagura is expected to pass through Namibia, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameron, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana. To find his way back home, he will go past Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Chad, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique before crossing the border into Zimbabwe. “I am just hoping that along the way nothing slows me down, mostly weather conditions like rain make it difficult to ride smoothly, so one has to take a rest,” he said.
“I am also very particular about speed; I make sure that I do not exceed 120 kilometres at any given time, while I also minimise riding at night.
“To ensure that my family are never worried back at home, I give updates on my location as often as I can, which means buying sim-cards and data in different nations.”
Nyagura is also using the trip to celebrate his 60th birthday and also promote Zimbabwe as a safe tourism destination under the banner “Zim-Bhoo”.
“Zim-Bhoo” is an official domestic tourism campaign which was launched by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority to encourage national pride. “I felt that while I am touring Africa, it is also an opportunity to promote Zimbabwe as a safe tourism destination, and I am happy that ZTA afforded me that opportunity to do so,” he said.
“One day, I hope that bikers from across the continent will also converge in Zimbabwe and experience our hospitality.
“Using my high-profile continental journeys, my role is to fly the Zimbabwean flag high, wave the “Zim Bhoo” banner and market the nation as a prime destination for international travellers and fellow adventurers.” Nyagura made the headlines in 2024 after covering a 9 000 kilometres adventure in 32 days. He travelled across Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda to take part in the 52nd Africa Concours D’Elegance, which was hosted in Nairobi.
