The 2025 Chronicle

I’ll just share a bit about our Journey overall. There were many unforgettable moments. On Sam Hoy’s birthday, he slipped on a rock while crossing the river and fell in with his whole bag – and Sam being Sam, he just laughed it off and kept smiling. Then, on the first night after cycling, the biggest thunderstorm hit while we were in our tents. Lightning, thunder and panic everywhere. I’ll admit, Khati, Imi and I were ready to go home. The solitude stage, which came in the middle of our Journey, was something truly special. Two days alone in nature – no noise, no distractions – just time to think and be grateful. It re minded me that this journey wasn’t only physical; it was mental and emotional too. Those moments taught us what real teamwork looks like. We learned that we’re only as fast as our slowest person. Putting the slower guys in front and the faster ones at the back showed us patience and unity. Huge thanks to Ben and Roux for staying at the back and motivating everyone – it just shows the type of people we had. We also learned selflessness. On Journey, you share everything – food, water, energy, even patience. And in doing so, you build friendships. People I’d hardly spoken to before became some of my closest mates. To Mr B, our group leader: thank you for guiding us with pa tience and humour. And to TK, Mr Saunders and Mr Venter: thank you for your support and encouragement. We left as boys unsure of what lay ahead; we returned as young men who know ourselves a little better. We learned that lead ership is about lifting others, that friendship is about unity, and that the hardest journeys often shape us the most.

GROUP 2 REPORT BACK By Luneziwe Mshengu

Group 2’s Journey started off with the Berg – three days of hiking and pretending to enjoy it. Summiting Langalibalele was one of the most rewarding moments of our lives. Once we broke through the clouds at the top, it genuinely felt like heaven’s gates had opened. But the real highlight was crossing the river into Lesotho – because, of course, everyone rushed to pee on the other side. That was a truly unifying experience. On our last day of Berg we walked back to base camp and had a feast. We had noodles, muesli, rusks… and now that I think of it, it doesn’t seem much like a feast, but after three days of tuna and baked beans anything is a feast. Later that day, the short ride to Snowflake – or “day zero of cycling”, as we called it – made cycling seem like it was going to be a breeze. But we should’ve known better after Kganya fell off his bike at the very first turn. There was a lot of “keishing” during cycling. Sam hit a pothole on a downhill and flew over his handlebars. Eneko broke his bike about three times – first the pedal, then the chain and, finally, somehow, the entire back wheel just… fell off. None of us knows how, but somehow it did. Along the journey we got blocked by a bull on the road. Mr Quaite was brave enough to go stand in front of the bull. His walk from the back to the front was some of the worst aura farming we have ever seen. We split in the middle like the Red Sea as sir walked to the front. When he stood in front of the bull, we were all, and I mean all, hoping… the bull would go crazy on him. After the first day of cycling, we finally had our first shower – an outdoor one at Lake Zonk. You’d think the best part was getting

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