No Roof of Africa this year

Chris Theko

The 53rd edition of the Roof Of Africa, Mother of Hard Enduro has been scrapped off this year. 

This follows Live Lesotho’s consultations this week with Government and Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC).

Earlier this month the Lesotho Off-Road Association (LORA) announced that the registration for the race was open and that preparations were underway, but further indicated that should the situation regarding Covid-19 pandemic escalate, they would not hesitate to pull the plug.

Initially the date was pushed back to February 2021 owing to the global lockdown induced by Covid-19.  When South Africa announced the opening of borders on October 1, 2020, the decision was reviewed and a new date of 9-12 December 2020 was set.

In a statement released by Live Lesotho which is the company responsible for organizing the extravaganza, they claim to have been advised that Lesotho will remain in a level 3 lockdown indefinitely.

According to the statement the decision is based on the concerns surrounding a possible second wave of COVID-19 infections.

“Due to these necessary restrictions, the 53rd edition of the “Mother of Hard Enduro” has therefore been postponed until 2021,” the statement reads.

Managing Director of Live Lesotho, Charan Moore saying that it is the responsibility of the Roof of Africa team to ensure that the event does not contribute to the spread of the virus. 

“We are aware of how disappointing this news will be to riders and their teams, but unfortunately the current situation has not stabilised enough and there is simply too much uncertainty surrounding the pandemic at present.

“We owe it to everyone involved, and especially the people of our host country, Lesotho, to ensure that the Motul Roof of Africa does not present any additional COVID-19 risks. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that under the current circumstances,” commented Charan Moore.

The organizers have already communicated the decision to the event sponsors.

The headline sponsor, Motul, indicated that they fully support the postponement of this year’s edition of the Roof of Africa until next year, by when it is hoped that there will be a much greater degree of certainty surrounding the pandemic and any ongoing precautions required to contain it.

Moore thanked the sponsors, riders, LSRC, LORA and Live Lesotho team members for their support and for the hard work that has already been invested in preperation for the event.  He committed to channeling this collective positive energy into making the 2021 Motul Roof of Africa the best yet.

Live Lesotho further announced that all riders who had secured and paid for a place in the 2020 event can carry this forward to the 2021 edition at no additional cost.  Alternatively, they can opt for a full refund.

The confirmed dates for next year’s event will be 3 – 6 November 2021, so riders and Enduro fans can add those dates to their diaries.

Lesotho has been hosting the Roof of Africa event annually since 1967, with the exception of 1998 when the country was embroiled in political unrests.