A travelling cyclist who has set out to visit every African country on the map has arrived in South Africa.
Adil Boudraa, 26, recently completed half of his solo journey from Morocco to the Mother City, covering thousands of kilometres on his trusted bicycle.
The young adventurer has gathered a large following on social media as he zigzags around the continent.
For the month of Ramadaan, he has made Woodstock his home.
Adil, who speaks Arabic, says he is on a mission to tell the stories of African people and tackle misconceptions.
He spoke to the Daily Voice with the help of Woodstock business owner, Youssef Kanouni, who acted as an interpreter.
“There are many untrue stories about African cities and African people, but I have only found people to be very friendly and very warm,” Adil says.
In March 2016, he left his hometown in Kenitra, Morocco with $300 (R3900) in his pocket and a dream to explore the “dark” continent.
His worst experience was when border police arrested him on suspicion of being a terrorist.
“I started to cycle to Senegal, visited Mali and then I got stopped at the Niger border. There was an issue with suspected terrorists and they didn’t want to believe that I was just travelling through on my bike,” he says.
Adil’s journey was reported in Moroccan newspapers and he gained the support of fellow countrymen living in other African cities, who helped release him in Niger and also offered him a bed and food as he made his way south.
Over the last few weeks, he has been visiting tourist spots around the Mother City and highlights Cape Point as one of his favourites.
After leaving each city, he writes a story about his experiences for his followers. So what will he write about South Africa?
“South Africa is very unique. You don’t even feel like you are in Africa,” Adil says.
“But my message is that we are all Africans and the issues at the borders are not good. As Africans, we should be able to explore our continent without the need for visas.
“People believe a lot of what they see about Africa [* the media] but not everybody goes to see for themselves.”
Adil is now preparing to cycle back home.
He will explore neighbouring Namibia and various other countries before completing his journey in Egypt.