High up in the northeastern corner of South Africa sits the town of Mbombela, surrounded by citrus and macadamia farms. Known previously as Nelspruit, Mbombela means ‘many people together in a small space’ in Siswati. This is apt, as tucked around the corner between hillsides is the township of Mataffin, circling around the Mbombela stadium.
Paid partnership with Sappi
Mpumalanga is known for its epic outdoor and adventure tourism activities, one of the most popular being mountain biking. In 2021, the Mataffin Sports Trust partnered with 2D Adventures to form the Mataffin Development Team, with the aim of introducing mountain biking to the youth of Mataffin. The young guns jumped at the opportunity to learn to ride, and four years later the development team has grown from ten to twenty riders between the ages of 13 and 17, with a healthy split of girls and boys
Mankele Adventures is 35km from central Mbombela, and the annual Sappi Mankele Challenge has become a key fixture on the team’s race calendar. “We have a weekly training programme, and the team trains four days a week. Often, we focus on basic skills in our training sessions, but it’s important for our riders to be exposed to natural features and single track to up their skillsets too. The kids are excited to be riding the Sappi Mankele Challenge again in 2025!” said Danie Botha, owner of 2D Adventures.
The Mataffin Development Team are funded by the Mataffin Sports Trust, who source donations from local businesses, government and from individuals like 2D Adventures. The Mataffin Sports Trust works more broadly with its member athletes, extending its support into economic development and work opportunities like the Isinkwa Sethemba Bakery which was opened in 2022 with the aim of addressing employment equity for women.
This year, in addition to the Sappi Mankele Challenge, the Mataffin Development Team will be competing in the Dust Buster XCM series. In 2024, members of the team competed in the 35km and 50km races of the Dust Buster series and performed well, and it has been inspiring to see how the children have developed their skills and tenacity for longer distances and challenging conditions. “Stand out moments are seen every week though at our training sessions, when it’s easy to see how free the children feel and how much they laugh together too. Also, we’ve noticed now when they podium at races, they support each other so well”. Botha added “Later in the year we want to take some of the older riders to do the 94.7 race in Johannesburg”.
Sappi, the title sponsor of the Sappi Mankele Challenge, are excited about the attendance of the Mataffin Development Team at the event. “As Sappi, our aim is to facilitate shared value through the Sappi Trails Programme which has been active since 2011. Sponsorship of events that take place on our land is part of the Sappi Trails Programme strategy, and we work with events that have proven community benefit. The Mataffin Development Team are a thriving group of youngsters who are passionate about cycling, the fun experience they gain from the Sappi Mankele Challenge is important to us and brings a wonderful energy to the event” said Lucas Esterhuizen, GM Forestry for Sappi Mpumalanga.
A percentage of the profit from the race run by 2D Adventures goes back into funding training projects for the children. “The biggest challenge to the Mataffin Development Team is securing funding to create more opportunities for them to experience other areas and races. This year though we are going to start training some of the older kids to basic mechanical work on bikes to keep our fleet in good shape. This way they might also advance to fix bikes in the community they live in or get full time work at cycling stores in the future.” said Botha.
The Sappi Mankele Challenge takes place on Saturday the 5th of April at Mankele Adventures just outside of Mbombela and is powered by 2D Adventures. The mountain bike race offerings include a beginner friendly 15km, an intermediate 35km, and the more advanced 50km and 70km, while the popular 5km trail run is back in 2025. Join us for an enjoyable ride or run in one of the most beautiful areas in the country.
