After walking nearly 6 000 km across South Africa, Save Soil ambassador, Tseke Nkadimeng, arrived in Kimberley on Friday (06/01), wearing his seventh pair of shoes since his journey commenced.
The aim of this 45-year-old South African businessman, father and entrepreneur from Dullstroom, and also an Isha meditator, is to walk 10 000 km in eight months across all nine provinces of the country.
His mission, in collaboration with the global Save Soil Movement, is to raise awareness amongst South Africans on the seriously depleted soil health. Soil, the basis of life on Earth, is globally in danger of desertification, said Save Soil in a statement.
Desertification is characterised by soil having insufficient organic content. In Africa, the average organic content in agricultural land is below 1%, while a minimum of 3% to 6% is needed for healthy agricultural soil.
Lack of organic content in soil results in lack of nutrition in food, thereby resulting in malnutrition. Also, desertification leads to less food production over time, resulting in famine and forced migration.
This food scarcity and soil extinction can start happening at a rapid pace within the next ten to 15 years. The United Nations (UN) stated that humans only have 60 years’ soil left and 52% of agricultural soil is degraded globally.
From Kimberley, Nkadimeng’s route took him, Musa Skosana and Ustinov “Bimbo” Kgosane – his support team – to amongst other places Hartswater, Vryburg, Mafikeng and Thabazimbi, with the Union Buildings in Pretoria as their ending point, where a petition with signatures they collected along the route will be handed over.
Nkadimeng says one cannot train for a journey like this. With no resting days inbetween, his day starts at 02:00, and after yoga and a light fruit breakfast, he starts walking before 05:00. It is not the long days in all weather conditions that is his biggest challenge, but vicious dogs in built-up areas. So far, the most difficult part of the route was to walk up Franschhoek Pass. His walk has been inspired by the Save Soil founder, Sadhguru – an Indian spiritual leader – who completed a 100 day, 30 000 km lone motorcycle ride across Europe and Asia.
For more information, visit consciousplanet.org, where you can also join as an Earth Buddy.
