In South Africa, cyclist to ride 650 km to raise R1 million to fight hunger
In South Africa, Union Against Hunger co-founder Mark Heywood will begin the seven-day, 650-km Go2Sea mountain bike ride on September 11, 2026. He plans to raise R1 million for Union Against Hunger and draw attention to hunger and its consequences for children, Daily Maverick reports.
The route will run through the Free State province into KwaZulu-Natal and finish in Ballito. Heywood, who previously took part in marathons and switched to mountain biking as he got older, prepared for the start by riding once a week for six months.
Ride in memory of Estelle Ellis
The bike ride has been dedicated to the memory of Daily Maverick journalist Estelle Ellis. According to the publication, her investigations, writing and public advocacy helped draw attention to hunger in the Eastern Cape province. Before Ellis died, she and Heywood had planned to write a book about overcoming hunger in South Africa.
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Heywood said donations for the ride could become a way to continue the cause to which Ellis was devoted. As Daily Maverick notes, one campaign connected with her work raised R2.1 million for SA Harvest, which distributed food parcels in the Eastern Cape province.
Data on severe acute malnutrition
Cases of severe acute malnutrition among children under five were recorded in areas along the route. In the Thabo Mofutsanyana district, 239 such cases and eight deaths were registered in 2025. In the iLembe district, 114 cases and 12 deaths were recorded, while eThekwini recorded 561 cases and 33 deaths.
Severe acute malnutrition can manifest as severe wasting or swelling of both feet and requires immediate medical care. In 2025, 32% of children under five in the Free State and 27.5% in KwaZulu-Natal had stunted growth. Heywood stressed that the available data are incomplete, but they are necessary to combat stunting and severe acute malnutrition.
