City endorses Desert Dash

The City of Windhoek has officially recognised the Nedbank Desert Dash by handing over a symbolic 'Key to the City' to Nedbank.This follows engagements between the city and Nedbank as the sponsor of the race, which sees cyclists racing from Windhoek to Swakopmund through the desert over 24 hours.Speaking at the handover ceremony Nedbank managing director Lionel Matthews said the business value of the Desert Dash in the two municipalities is there for everyone to see, and is estimated to be between N$20 million to 25 million.“Windhoek is the city that sees the riders off and Swakopmund is the city that receives them, and we have reached out to these two cities. “It usually feels like the cyclists are invading these two cities. I almost get a sense that people feel like we are invading their towns, hence we decided to reach out to the leaders,” Matthews said.The two cities come to a standstill when the event takes place and it was thus important to give recognition to both Windhoek and Swakopmund, he said.Matthews added that the Nedbank Desert Dash is a landmark event for Namibia that attracts cyclists from all over the world to test their endurance across the Namib Desert, and is the largest single-stage solo mountain bike event in the world.Over 1 000 cyclists have registered to partake in the event and 300 of these will come from South Africa, while 100 are from Europe, Australia and America. Windhoek mayor Muesee Kazapua said the event falls in line with the city's commitment to promoting sports equally.“It also speaks volumes to our transformational strategic plan for the city, which we approved for the period of 2017/22, of being a smart city on urban sustainable transportation,” he said.The sustainable transportation system, he said, will see more and more people using cycling as a mode of transport in Windhoek.The 2019 Nedbank Desert Dash will kick off at 15:00 from the Grove Mall in the capital on 6 December and will end in Swakopmund on 7 December.NAMPA

City endorses Desert Dash

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Republikein 2026-09-18

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City endorses Desert Dash

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Republikein 2026-09-18

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