South Africans refused to see a desert in Phikwe
Was it a desert race that never was? Local motorsport enthusiasts have enjoyed an enthralling battle between men and machine for more than four-decades before a lengthy bond was broken in 2020. One of the biggest motorsport events, the Toyota 1000km Desert race was whisked away to the Northern Cape’s Upington. The initial explanation was that due to COVID-19 the event could not proceed.
It was one of the most heart-breaking separations as the race remains one of the most popular events across spectrum. An estimated crowd of more than 100,000 watch the grueling contests of revving engines. In 2020, the postponement of the event was understandable as COVID-19 was wreaking havoc.
The pandemic proved to be a blessing in disguise for South Africa. At first, it appeared to be a temporary arrangement.
But last year, local fans watched again as Upington sat at the top table and had the race feast. Still not much, they thought as at the time the deadly Delta variant was spreading like veldt fire, so it was no big deal to have another miss.
But a few days into 2022, local motorsport fanatics were stunned to learn the race will be in Upington for the third consecutive year. It seems what appeared to be a temporary break-up is turning into a nightmarish divorce. Upington is having the upper hand.
But were South Africans cunning in wrestling one of Botswana’s dearly held race, or were the local authorities their own worst enemies? Some say it was always coming as ‘Big Brother’ South Africa could not stomach seeing the reputation of the Desert Race soar in Botswana.
Botswana had held the race with roaring success, drawing envy from the southern neighbours, some say. COVID-19 therefore came at the right time for the South Africans and they fully utilised the excuse to establish a firm grip on the race. But there is a glaring own goal local authorities, who include the Botswana Tourism Organisation, could have scored.
Primarily, the Desert Race is a sporting event, but has massive tourism benefits.
Few spectators care about the winners, they mostly attend the event as ‘fun-lovers’, with massive spin-offs for the economy.
With Selebi-Phikwe struggling following the closure of BCL mine, the organisers saw it as a massive opportunity to re-invigorate the former mining town’s economic fortunes.
They identified the Desert Race to address the economic desert and there was nothing wrong with that.
But the grave mistake and oversight was the terrain; Selebi-Phikwe has no desert.
Yes, the mine is deserted and the town suffers from an economic desert but that does not turn into a physical desert needed to host a desert race. Only stunted vegetation here and there in an otherwise lush green expanse.
Like the swindlers in the Emperor’s New Cloth, the South African riders pretended to see the desert in Selebi-Phikwe during the 2019 ‘Desert’ Race. But the elasticity of that pretence could not go beyond one race. In 2020, the race went back to the Kalahari Desert.
Unfortunately it was not part of the vast Kalahari Desert on Botswana’s side.
It was on the South African side. Crushing as it is, it is victory in the sporting sense as it is only proper that a desert race be held in a desert, not a deserted place.