Charity Biker Fundraiser Visits Cape Town

Cape Point was the end point for a Japanese biker who began his epic fundraising journey at the northern tip of Africa

Japanese charity fundraiser and adventure motorcyclist Shinji Kazama was recently welcomed to the city at the end of his 78-day journey from the northern tip of Africa to Cape Point, the south-western tip of the continent.

The 58-year-old completed the epic motorcycle journey to raise funds and awareness for the Bone and Joint Decade, a campaign supported by the World Health Organisation.

The Bone and Joint Decade aims to improve the quality of life for people with musculo-skeletal disorders throughout the world, by raising awareness, identifying needs, empowering patients, promoting prevention and treatment and conducting research.

Kazama was met at his hotel by Councillor JP Smith from the City of Cape Town, who presented him with a book about Cape Town and spoke to him about his journey through an interpreter.

“He spoke briefly about the trip and about the campaign that he is trying to raise consciousness about with his various travels. He was friendly and charming and very upbeat, but I think he was a little tired and was nursing an injured leg, which was giving him visible discomfort,” Smith said.

Kazama has been riding motorcycles around the world for 40 years, and is the only person to ever reach both the North and South Poles by motorcycle. He has also established world-record heights for a motorcycle on Mount Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Aconcagua and Mount Vinson.

His journey through Africa started in Egypt on 23 October 2008 and ended at Cape Point on 3 January 2009. He visited nine countries, including Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. He was accompanied by a support team in two vehicles.

While you might not be itching to travel on a motorbike all the way through Africa, you can certainly visit the end-point of Kazama’s trip – Cape Point. Try the seafood platter from the Two Oceans Restaurant at Cape Point – it comes highly recommended!

In fact, why not hop onto a Harley Davidson rental bike in Cape Town for your trip to Cape Point – you might not have come all the way from northern Africa on the Harley, but you can always imagine!

Subscribe to our Editor’s Picks Newsletter for interesting news about Cape Town, as well as our top quality selection of the best events and things to do in Cape Town.

Source: City of Cape Town