SA Rocks

Cool idea, nice execution. I like it.

Popularity: 9% [?]

For the first time in the races history a South African has won the Dakar Rally.

de Villiers himself puts admits to a bit of luck in the win.

Dakar Rally winner Giniel de Villiers admitted luck and the exit of Carlos Sainz were crucial factors in his victory.

De Villiers trailed Sainz until the Spaniard crashed into a ravine and his co-driver Michel Perin suffered a shoulder injury.

“It was crazy, really incredible,” De Villiers said. “Until the 11th stage I was in third and knew that it was going to be very hard. “The rally was very demanding and we went through a lot of difficult moments. In some of them we were lucky, but, overall, the car was fantastic.”

He added: “I felt very bad because of what happened to Carlos but I was relieved when I noticed that both of them were okay.”

Volkswagen’s De Villiers and co-driver Dirk Von Zitzewitz won four special stages to finish eight minutes and 59 seconds ahead of American Mark Miller and end Mitsubishi’s five-year winning streak.

“We are going to celebrate with the whole crew with a couple of beers,” added De Villiers.

Meanwhile, race manager Ettiene Lavigne hailed the “historic” event but refused to confirm if the Rally will return to South America next year.

“This Dakar was historic,” Lavigne said. “Before coming here a lot of people said that it was dead, but it came from its ashes and became this great race.

“It was a human adventure and fabulous place and the landscapes amazed the drivers.

“If the rally comes back to Argentina and Chile the experiences during this edition will help us to make same changes in the stages.”

– source

I’m not a big Dakar Rally follower, I should be I think as the race itself is monumental. Apparently the teams spend millions upon millions of Euro’s on the team preparation and cost of running throughout the race. So I think it’s quite an achievement for a South African to come through – however it happend – and win it.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Ed’s note: This post is a submission by Mike Smith.

If there is one thing South Africa has is sport – lots of it and the perfect environment in which to participate. The Sani2c is an example, a South African multi-day stage race that tours from the foot hills of the Drakensberg to the breaking sea at Scottbrugh – crossing South African lands of beauty and splendour.

What makes South Africa so special in sports events like this one, is not the fast paced competitiveness or the absolutely phenomenal organisation (although these things are resoundingly present), it’s the camaraderie, the people and the countryside. Only South Africa could host an event that traverses such diversified environments. From mountainous grasslands, through rough thorn-veld and on to the tropical vegetation of the South Coast. We have it all!

While passing through some of the most memorable of sites, the people are the key feature of the Sani2c. The one thousand competitors and over three hundred support crew not only make the race but resonate South African spirit. Laced with cultural diversity of language and situation, everyone is never the less a potential friend. When racing, the most you are likely to say to your partner or competitor is “how the legs”, “slow down” or many other four letter combinations that need not be recorded – nevertheless, these are the people who you can walk away from the event feeling like you know better than any friend!

The most astounding aspect of all, is that the race travels through some of South Africa’s poorest communities without trouble or a hint of danger. Considering the fact that millions of Rands worth of equipment makes its way through a population of little wealth one would expect a dismal response. Instead, the people of the area line the single tracks – screaming and shouting in support of the cyclists. Glen and Mandy Haw, the race organizers, are responsible for this to a large degree as they funnel money back into the communities.

South Africa is abundant with opportunities and the blessing of unsurpassed beauty. The Sani2c takes full advantage of this, allowing competitors to experience our countryside and reap rewards it has offer. Sport isn’t just something we have in abundance; it’s something we can use to develop this wonderful country.

Popularity: 13% [?]

It’s not often that I fell old or out of touch. But I think that I might be.

I have a cousin who is going on 17 years old. She is in touch with life, she is mature and knows about the world around her. She knows about the past (apartheid) and all that jazz – as she would say. But she doesn’t live it.

What she does is live, with everything, altogether, all the time. No questions, analysing, deep thought about the past and the implications of her relationships with that in mind.

While I sit here blogging and debating the life that I live here in SA, she is living it. She lives it to its full extent. Black friends, white friends, male, female, humans. Altogether everyone collectively makes up a part of her life. It’s not about race.

Browsing through her Facebook photos (I wasn’t stalking her I swear). I found myself thinking that I was out of touch. Why? Because she is surrounded by a multitude of people of every race, age, creed and background. It’s all the same to her and her mates. There is no bias one way or the other. They are all just living.

Then I thought about my life here and realised that I am somewhat trapped in the predisposition of my recent past and the extended past of my relatives and readings in Politics class. I am not race conscious nor am a racist but I don’t think I am a race-free thinker. I am still bound by the ideologies that I have been taught about. Whether I am actively denouncing the past or actively getting rid of it in my mind. I am still apart of it.

My point? I think I am still debating things while there are those that are living. Simple.

Popularity: 2% [?]