The former public protector and a group of supporters walked 300km to raise money to help students from disadvantaged backgrounds pay their debts to Stellenbosch University.

Students, entrepreneurs, community members, retired teachers and even a cancer survivor walked step in step with Stellenbosch University (SU) chair of social justice Professor Thuli Madonsela over the weekend of 19 and 20 August, as she embarked on the 300km Pilgrimage of Hope from Stellenbosch to Cape Agulhas.

The journey was intended to raise funds for the #Action4Inclusion campaign, spearheaded by SU's Centre for Social Justice, to clear historic debt owed to the university by students from poor and working-class families, and ultimately to ensure the registration of all students.

"This walk is about igniting hope in our nation and leveraging the goodness within us against darkness," Madonsela said.

"This image of hope is focusing on a small issue with huge consequences for people, student debt, to stop historical student debt from being an obstacle to students continuing their studies."

The Pilgrimage of Hope is an established route intended to expose participants to the diverse communities and rich histories of the Western Cape region.

From Stellenbosch to Pniel

The walk began on Saturday, 19 August, with a gruelling 15km trek from Rhenish Church, Stellenbosch, to the small town of Pniel. The group walked through vulnerable communities in which...