Tim Thabethe and Steve Hofmeyr are hitting the road today, in the hope of hitchhiking to Cape Town in time for U2’s concert on Saturday night. They will raise money for the Agri Securitas Trust Fund en route following a challenge by a Free State farmer to Thabethe to do something about farm murders. He said he would pay R10 a kilometre.
The challenge to the OFM Breakfast Club DJ and the controversial Afrikaans singer comes in the wake of Hofmeyr’s publicity stunt that saw him throw his U2 tickets into the Jukskei River as a protest against what was perceived as Bono’s support of Julius Malema and his use of the struggle song, Shoot the Boer.
Bono later told Radio 702’s Redi Thlabi that he was “making the point that in Ireland we’ve songs on both sides of the troubles that are offensive to the other community … but it is wildly irresponsible and worse to use these songs to stir up more hate. Hate is not welcome. “We are famous for songs of non-violence. That anyone should think we were pro this is barking, barking mad”.
In the meantime, OFM and Tim Thabethe decided on a course of action. “As a regional radio station that caters for a large segment of the South African farming community, Thabethe decided to take up the challenge and in exchange challenged Steve Hofmeyr to hitchhike with him to the U2 show in Cape Town.
A mere 24 hours later, Thabethe and Hofmeyr met in Bloemfontein this morning and accompanied by tractors from New Holland and a contingent of bikers from the Harley Davidson Club, left the city for the N1 and a road trip of note.
OFM’s Hanna Struwig said this morning that the pair were taking posters highlighting their destination and their mission, a few ‘beauty products and a change of clothes and their cellphones to provide regular updates via OFM’s twitter feed and Facebook site.
“The trip will have its challenges,” Struwig said laughing. “One of them will be rugby. Tim supports the Cheetahs and Steve the Blue Bulls. Tim is determined to teach Steve the Cheetah’s song.”
They will be sending regular updates via OFM’s Twitter and Facebook pages.
On reaching Cape Town, Big Concerts – the tour promoter – has offered the pair a chance to raise more funds by selling boerewors rolls.
And does Bono know about this? “I don’t know, but I imagine after the national news about all this he might well know!”
Follow the road trip via:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/OFM-The-Sound-Of-Your-Life/102094197503
Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/_OFM
@timthabethe
@steve_hofmeyer.
