Cyclist Nic Dlamini will make his return to international racing next week, after being out of action since December, when his arm was broken during an incident at the Table Mountain Nature Reserve.
He’s part of a seven-member team for NTT Pro Cycling taking part in the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain.
Dlamini received a call to join the team after a training camp in Italy.
“I’m very excited and nervous. But I’ve done all the preparations so I’m feeling really good. I’m looking forward to basically getting on the start line and having a number on my back. Yeah, that’s gonna be a lot of fun. For Burgos, we’ve got a strong lineup, and for me getting a late call up is something really cool.”
Wtf @TableMountainNP @SANParks @VanHaywood. Someone just broke Nic Dlamini’s arm pic.twitter.com/oYQGiTNUPM
— Lawrence Lindeque (@larrymontana) December 27, 2019
The 24-year-old cyclist suffered a broken arm during an altercation with Table Mountain Park rangers at the Silvermine Nature Reserve in December.
The rangers were demanding to see Dlamini’s permit to be in the park or proof that he had paid, which led to a scuffle and the cyclist being bundled into the back of a SANParks bakkie last year.
A video of the incident went viral, with members of the public condemning the heavy-handedness of the five rangers.
At the time of the incident, SANParks said it will be appointing an independent investigator to probe the incident.
SANParks Spokesperson Rey Thakhuli confirmed that the five rangers have been issued with letters of intention to put them on precautionary suspension.
“We have met with the 5 rangers this morning as management and we have issued them with letters of intention to place them on precautionary suspension and we’ve given them 24 hours to reply but as you know, in terms of the law, we have to give them an opportunity to exercise their right to reply,” said Thakhuli.
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Barbara Creecy had also ordered that the rangers be suspended and that her department conducts an independent investigation into the matter.
The case is still under way.
