Pietermaritzburg — History was made in South Africa's Dusi Canoe Marathon at the weekend, when Michael Mbanjwa became the first black winner in the event's 57-year history.

Teaming up with the "Dusi Duke", Martin Dreyer, Mr Mbanjwa brought huge smiles to the residents of the Valley of a Thousand Hills which forms part of the route and is also where he was born, reports Southafrica.info.

His win also provided validation for the development efforts of Canoeing South Africa.

Mr Mbanjwa is a product of the Nagle Dam club, formed by canoeing pioneer, the late Robert Lembethe, to bring the sport to people who live along the route of this famous event.

In 1997, Mr Mbanjwa was on his way to a game of soccer when he was stopped by Mr Lembethe, who suggested he give canoeing a try.

He gave it a go, having seen paddlers in the valley before, never thinking that he might one day be crowned the winner of the famous race and on Saturday, he made history.

Mr Mbanjwa has heard the story about being the first black winner many times previously; in 2007, he and Mr Dreyer won the Stihl Non-Stop Dusi, but, for Mr Mbanjwa, it is a story that he would prefer not to hear.

Instead of being viewed as a successful black paddler, he would prefer to be viewed as a successful elite paddler, one whose record speaks for itself.

With his victory, he has surely earned that right, but his win, as a first in the history of the race, made it an historic occasion.

While it was Mr Mbanjwa's first victory in the Dusi, following a second place in the K1 race in 2007, it was a seventh win for Mr Dreyer.

Afterwards, the 39-year-old said it was his final competitive shot at the event; he will participate in it in the future, but simply to take part and not to win it.

Mr Mbanjwa and Mr Dreyer showed they meant business on the first leg of the race, with a record time of two hours, 32 minutes and 47 seconds, to build up a lead of almost four minutes over Hank McGregor and Sven Bruss.

Ant Stott and Wayne Thompson, second in the last K2 event in 2006, finished the day in third, just over six minutes behind the leaders.

Not long after their win, Mr Mbanjwa and Mr Dreyer were flown by helicopter to Nagle Dam, in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, where a huge crowd greeted the Dusi winners, cheering and ululating, and lifting them onto their shoulders.