Land Rover’s Afrika Odyssey Preps for Next Leg With the Defender 130

Presenting stories of hope and happiness in a continent seemingly dominated by danger and despair, the Kingsley Holgate Foundation set off on the latest leg of the Afrika Odyssey Expedition today, which has already seen two Defender 130s traverse over 51 000 km.

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Gathering at the Jaguar Land Rover experience centre in Johannesburg, this off-roading haven, only a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of the rat race provided us with an opportunity to take a glimpse into a humanitarian organisation that ventures across the African continent. A first for me, Nomaswazi Nkosi, PR specialist at Jaguar Land Rover greeted the small contingent of media ahead of the short introduction by Kingsley Holgate. In her hand, a wooden stick, with its end fashioned to resemble a head. Once the formalities in the atrium were concluded, she passed the stick onto Kingsley, who epitomises every possible meaning of the word adventurer. The traditional Zulu Talking Stick is what he referred to it as for people like me, who were new to this world.

A short dialogue was presented, the voices of Ross and Kingsley Holgate projecting throughout the facility’s interior. To summarise the adventuring and goodwill these men have achieved in a mere five minutes is undoubtedly an arduous task. All of this, the father and son duo stated, would never have been possible without the support of Jaguar Land Rover and the Defender 130 which was outfitted with all of their gear.

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Ross Holgate, expedition leader said: “That’s more than 6 000 km a month on some of the most treacherous roads on the continent. This would have been a real challenge for most overlanding vehicles. But our expedition Defender 130s – nicknamed Moyo (heart) and Isibindi (courage) – have performed flawlessly. The incredible capability of the new Defender continues to amaze us at every turn, as well as all the people we come across on this journey. Thanks to the Defenders’ unsurpassed all-terrain performance, Moyo and Isibindi easily tamed all types of tricky situations we encountered – from the desert sands of Angola to the flooded swamps of the Congo.”

Of course, the 130 is the most recent edition into the Defender lineup and both Ross and Kingsley were quick to mention that despite the added size and heft, the overlanding SUVs coped admirably but most importantly could carry more supplies, intended for the betterment of communities in the most remote regions of Africa.

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In six months between June 2023 and the close of the year, the expedition travelled the pair of Defender 130 models across more than 40 000 km through South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The objective was to distribute 7 643 long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets to the 13 African countries affected by malaria.

Being at the Jaguar Land Rover Experience Centre, with its fully equipped off-road course, it would have been a sin to not put the 130s through their paces. With Ross at my side in the passenger seat, some harrowing stories of the expedition’s experiences were shared while manoeuvring the laden model through the undulating track. Record rainfall and flooding in Uganda and the DRC and plan changes courtesy of political instability and terrorism in other nations mean that things can change at the drop of a hat.

While the story of the flooding is being told in my ear, I approach the entry of a water-wading section. Ross assures me that the Defenders are capable of a 900 mm wading depth, while tight sections that follow are made easier by the addition of the Defenders’ 3D Surround Camera with ClearSight Ground View displayed on the Pivi Pro infotainment system.

In the spirit of adventure and goodwill, the foundation leaves for the next leg which will include the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria and Benin, for the second half of the Afrika Odyssey Expedition.

In addition to distributing mosquito nets, the team also provides reading spectacles to poor-sighted individuals in the countries they visit and conducts community conservation education campaigns aimed at youths.

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