Although he is now a professional cyclist, Justice Makhale, a resident of the remote area east of Thohoyandou, from Gaba village, does not forget the hardships he went through before realizing his childhood dream.

Makhale said he remembered how he used to borrow an old bicycle from his friend, Itani Tshipani, for practicing purposes. In the year 2000 Makhale first heard about a certain Mr Kenneth “Brother” Neluvhalani, who was working at the University of Pretoria as a Sports Officer.

After calling Neluvhalani numerous times, the two finally met at Neluvhalani’s Tshakhuma home. It was at that meeting where Neluvhalani gave Makhale a brand new bicycle. The precious gift from Neluvhalani prompted Makhale to move to Pretoria where he tried his luck by competing in various provincial races. When the cycle was worn out a few months thereafter, Neluvhalani gave him a replacement one. His first national race was in 2003, when he took part in a mountain bike race in Pretoria, where he finished in fifth position. He won several provincial races in 2004, before turning professional the following year.

He entered into a three-year contract with the Mazda Team in 2005, a team he stayed with until 2008. He joined the DCM Chrome Team in January this year. He terminated his contract with the DCM Chrome in June this year. This after the MTN Team approached him with a better offer. His one-year contract with the MTN Team comes to an end in September next year.

He has already represented the country in many countries, including Italy, Belgium, Scotland, New Zealand and Norway over the past years. Makhale was the first black cyclist to represent the country in the Commonwealth Games that were staged in Australia in 2006.