SA explorer Kingsley Holgate on transcontinental mission to tackle malaria

South African explorer and humanitarian Kingsley Holgate made his first stop in Johannesburg on Friday to launch his gruelling 30,000km transcontinental expedition to help fight malaria.

The first “Hot Cape to Cold Cape” expedition, departing from Cape Agulhas on the southern tip of Africa to Nordkapp in Norway’s Arctic Circle, will cross 30 countries in Africa and Europe over some of the roughest and most demanding terrain.

After departing Cape Agulhas the first stop was at Johannesburg’s Constitutional Hill on Friday, where the journey was officially launched.

While the world has been focusing on fighting Covid-19, malaria made a comeback on the African continent.

World Health Organisation (WHO) research reveals that the death rate among children from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa has doubled in two years, and a child dies from malaria every minute in Africa, compared to every two minutes as reported before the pandemic.

Goodbye Malaria and the Kingsley Holgate Foundation are continuing their fight against the disease, setting out on the transcontinental expedition to take the tools to fight malaria to communities across Africa.

“This expedition promises to be one of our most challenging and significantly humanitarian journeys to date, and it wouldn’t be possible without the support we’ve received from Goodbye Malaria,” said Holgate.

“We’re grateful to have partners like these, as well as the countless volunteers, friends and communities who have helped our work grow from strength to strength while touching millions of lives over the years,” said Sherwin Charles, co-founder of Goodbye Malaria.

“The significance of Constitution Hill symbolises the expedition so well, which is why it is the chosen launchpad for the long journey ahead. Our constitution holds us together as a nation and guides us, especially in this time of economic turmoil and Covid-19 recovery.

“The words Aluta Continua are found at the Joburg landmark and mean ‘the struggle continues’. This expedition symbolises the grit, patience and determination needed to fight a disease like malaria.”

The expedition’s partnership with Goodbye Malaria will allow the team to distribute effective, long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets to pregnant women and mothers with young children, along with teaching communities how to prevent the disease. It will also support the Goodbye Malaria indoor residual spraying programme in Mozambique.

As with all Kingsley Holgate expeditions, the principle of “using adventure to improve and save lives” will be a focus of the expedition and aims to assist 300,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa with:

• malaria prevention;
• eye tests and distributing reading glasses to poor-sighted people in remote communities;
• water purification systems;
• encouraging the conservation and protection of Africa’s wildlife and habitats;
• providing nutritional food packs and early childhood development teaching material to children and teachers; and
• spekboom-thicket and tree planting to offset the expedition's carbon footprint.

In 2021 Goodbye Malaria ramped up its efforts to realise a malaria-free Africa by spraying 18 districts across southern Mozambique, protecting more than 2-million people from the disease, of which 264,864 were children under the age of five.

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