R155 000 Raised Through Auctions for songo.info

Specialized Bicycles have customised two S-Works Epic mountain bikes, which are to be ridden by Jaroslav Kulhavý and Annika Langvad at the Absa Cape Epic. The bikes will then be placed on auction, with all the proceeds going to songo.info, after the race. Photo by Etienne Schoeman.

R155 000 Raised Through Auctions for songo.info

As part of the songo.info 10-year anniversary festivities, a celebration of all the sponsors and supporters of the charity was held at Dornier Wine Estate on Tuesday the 6th of March. The event looked back at the history and humble beginnings of songo.info before auctioning off a number of items, kindly donated by some of the charity’s sponsors, which raised a total of R155 000 for the programme, excluding the exceptionally generous donation of a further R125 000 by Aurecon.

Christoph Sauser, co-founder of songo.info, regaled the guests – as they enjoyed canapés and Dornier’s fine wines, Wilderer gins with Fitch & Leedes boutique mixers and Stellenbau beers on a beautiful Stellenbosch evening – with the story of how songo.info came about. From the initial problem of finding a potentially race winning partner for the Absa Cape Epic to the meeting with Songo Fipaza, which proved the inception of the charity – with the primary aim of building a BMX track for the children of Kayamandi.

The most sought after item auctioned off at the Dornier Wines songo.info 10th anniversary celebration was a 2011 Absa Cape Epic leader’s jersey, autographed by Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser. Photo by Michal Červený.

As Sauser recounted they were all very naïve in those early years and was it not for the Pedal Power Association they would not have been able to meet that first goal of building the BMX track. Since then the charity’s scope and ability to raise funds has grown exponentially, but it has only been possible with the help of numerous generous benefactors. In their personal and professional capacities many of Stellenbosch’s foremost business people have given charitably of their time, expertise and money to make songo.info the success it is today. A special word of thanks must however be extended to sponsors past and present; Specialized Bicycles, 36ONE Asset Management, Meerendal Wines, Julius Bär Foundation, Aurecon, MTO Group, Transaction Junction, Click Foundation and Investec Asset Management.

Supporters of songo.info gathered at Dornier Wines to commemorate the charity’s 10th birthday. Photo by Michal Červený.

Following the recount of songo.info’s origins the cycling community of Stellenbosch once again generously partook in a charity auction, with items like getaways to the Arabella Hotel and Spa, entries to the La Leyenda del Dorado MTB stage race in Columbia, a signed Peter Sagan World Champion’s jersey, Richard Scott artwork, and a Maurice Lacroix watch, going under the hammer. The flagship item of the evening was a Burry Stander leader’s jersey from the 2011 Absa Cape Epic; autographed by the late South African mountain biking legend and his stage race partner, Christoph Sauser.

The 10th anniversary fund raising efforts did not end with the auction on the 6th of March however. Jaroslav Kulhavý and Annika Langvad will both be racing custom Specialized S-Works Epic bicycles during the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the Absa Cape Epic in March. These bikes feature songo.info inspired decaling and are two of a kind. They will be auctioned online, from the 26th of March to the 2nd of April, after the conclusion of the 2018 Absa Cape Epic.

Specialized Bicycles have customised two S-Works Epic mountain bikes, which are to be ridden by Jaroslav Kulhavý and Annika Langvad at the Absa Cape Epic. The bikes will then be placed on auction, with all the proceeds going to songo.info, after the race. Photo by Etienne Schoeman.

For more information on songo.info, their 10-year anniversary celebrations and the work they do in the Kayamandi community please visit www.songo.info.