Cape to Rio row for SA’s eco warriors

Two of SA’s best-known adventurers, Braam Malherbe and Peter van Kets, are planning to join up again, this time rowing from Cape Town to Rio, to highlight the plight of the planet.

Ocean acidification and diminishing phytoplankton are among the causes they hope their row, scheduled for January 2017, will bring into focus.

“We have to do what we can to mitigate the mess we’ve made of our planet,” said Malherbe. He drew attention to the fact that phytoplankton produces 50% of the air we breathe and that at the present rate, “by 2050 there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish”.

Malherbe was the first person to run the entire length of the Great Wall of China – a feat he accomplished in 98 days – while Van Kets was the first African to row unsupported across the Atlantic, an epic journey of 5 438 kilometres in 76 days.

The pair have also raced together – unassisted in a 888km journey to the South Pole – each hauling a sled weighing 88kgs and battling extreme winds and temperatures of -45º.

In November the entrepreneurial explorers plan to launch an app they have developed – the DOT App, named after the slogan Do One Thing. Its four pillars are Waste, Water, Energy and Conservation.

“Via the DOT App, we want to get 2,3 million people following our journey,” said Malherbe. The figure represents the number of ‘pulls’ they will take to reach Rio. “We all need to ‘pull together’ if we are to ensure a sustainable future,” he said.

The two will be participating in this year’s Cape Town International Boat Show and their craft – Mhondoro, meaning ‘lion spirit’ – will be on display. The boat is being sponsored by Mhondoro Lodge in the Welgevonden Game Reserve. Visitors to the show will have an opportunity to meet the environmentalists on Saturday October 15, between 11:00 – 12:00.