UMbanjwa uzolwisa okwengwe kwiDusi
UMGWEDLI we-FNB Dusi Canoe Marathon, uThulani “Banji” Mbanjwa, uthi uzolwisa okwengwe ukuthi aphume nabahlanu abahambe phambili kulo mqhudelwano ozoqala kusasa eMgungundlovu, usongwe ngoMgqibelo eBlue Lagoon, eThekwini.
UMbanjwa ongaphansi kwe-Euro Steel ungowaseMbhava kwaSwayimane utshele Isolezwe ukuthi akafuni ukuzifaka ingcindezi engenasidingo ngokufuna ukunqoba lo mqhudelwano ngoba uyazi ukuthi kunabagwedli abangcono kakhulu kunaye.
Kulo nyaka iDusi ingu-K1, okusho ukuthi abagwedli bagwedla ngabodwana. Ngo-2007, uMbanjwa unqobe iDusi ku-K2 ebambisene noMartin Dreyer. “Ngifuna ukuzama ngakho konke okusemandleni ukuthi ngiqede endaweni yesihlanu. Phela uma uya ngokuya ukhula, izinto ziya ngokuba nzima, nabafana abancane abafikayo kulo mqhudelwano bayingozi kakhulu. Ngithole ithuba elenele lokuthi ngijime, kungakho ngifuna ukuphusha kakhulu,” kusho uMbanjwa. Ngokusho kukaMbanjwa, u-Andy Birkett ovikela lesi sicoco usazokhala emuke naso nokulo nyaka.
“UBirkett uzophinde asinqobe lesi sicoco. Wenze kahle kakhulu emqhudelwaneni obuseDrankensburg ekhala emuka nawo ngesikhathi esihle kakhulu. Kodwa abangamdlisela ogageni ngoSibonelo Khwela ohleze eseduze kwakhe uBirkett. Ngiyazi kwabaningi uKhwela izinto azimhambeli kahle njengoba engakanqobi nesisodwa isicoco nonyaka kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi ubefuna lokho vele ukuze engezokuba nengcindezi. Ngeke ngamshiya ngaphandle noHank McGregor osewine iWorld Marathon kaningi, kanti nangonyaka owedlule uyena onqobe noBirkett kuK2. Lowo muntu wazi konke ngokwenzeka emfuleni, ngakho ngeke wamshiya ngaphandle. Labo bantu ngibabona bezokwenza kahle kakhulu,” kulandisa uMbanjwa.
“Kuzoba yizinsuku ezintathu ezinzima, kodwa ngiwulungiselele lo mjaho futhi ngizwa nginethemba lokuthi ngizokwenza kahle,” usho kanje uMbanjwa.