Pretoria - The late commander-in-chief of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), Samora Machel, will be honoured during this year's Bikers for Mandela Day trip.
The bikers began their 2 200-km tour this morning at Montecasino in Johannesburg and they will ride through Gauteng, Free State, Kwazulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, as well as a crossover through Swaziland to further spread the ethos of Mandela Day.
Sello Hatang, spokesperson of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said a symbolic wreath will be laid at Machel's Memorial site in Mbuzini on Friday after the bikers pass through Swaziland on the way to Mbombela (Nelspruit).
"It follows an earlier heritage stop-off on July 12, which will see the group clean the monument and create a garden, including the planting of the 'Mandela Gold' Strelitzia at the site in Howick where Nelson Mandela was captured in 1962," he said.
On October 19, 1986, Machel was on his way back from an international meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, in the presidential Tupolev Tu-134 aircraft, when the plane crashed in the Lebombo Mountains, near Mbuzini, South Africa. There were 10 survivors, but Machel and 33 others died, including ministers and officials of the Mozambique government.
Bikers for Mandela Day acts as an inspiration for individuals around the world to donate 67 minutes of their time to give back in service to communities.
In 2011, the riders and support staff will donate 67 minutes of time at seven rural community projects along a more than 2 200 kilometre route.
Spearheaded by Nelson Mandela's executive assistant of over 17 years, Zelda la Grange, Bikers for Mandela Day is an integral part of the annual Mandela Day activities, a call to action for individuals everywhere to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mandela did.
Activities can be submitted on the Mandela Day website, which also features an interactive map to keep up-to-date with Bikers for Mandela as they take on their most challenging route yet.
"The Mandela Day philosophy is to take action, inspire change and to make every day a Mandela Day. If all of us contribute in some way, whether 67 minutes or more, it will result in a transformative momentum. The Bikers for Mandela day are contributing greatly to this," says Achmat Dangor of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
People can follow the ride on Twitter (@Bikers4MandelaD) and http://www.mandeladay.com/bikers.
On Nelson Mandela Day, July 18, members of the public can pre-book for lunch at the Royal Elephant Hotel in Pretoria, which is where the group will be arriving at around 2pm.
The cost for the lunch is at a reduced rate of R120 a head (the usual price is R175). Bookings for the lunch can be made directly with Surina on (012) 658-8018, (012) 658-8000, surina@royalelephant.co.za or info@royalelephant.co.za.
