Branch finishes 11th but maintains overall lead
Monday, January 08, 2024 | 360 Views |
Racing on: Branch is enjoying the longest lead in recent years by an African rider at the Dakar rally PIC: SUPPLIED
The Kalahari Ferrari, as Branch is known, has enjoyed a strong start to this year’s edition of the race that started on January 5 and is due to end on January 19 in Saudi Arabia. Branch was third on the prologue stage and announced his intentions on Stage One on Saturday, as he bagged a morale-boosting win, his career fourth at the Dakar Rally.
Yesterday, the local biker led the pack but lost some time due to navigation problems as opponents closed in on him on the general standings. Branch says he lost ground early in today’s 655km long stretch as he struggled to get his navigation right just 50km in.
It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...