How two women plan to conquer Africa in a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 240D

There is crazy, then there is Tanya Ritchie crazy. The Johannesburg resident is setting out on a madcap adventure from the city to Nairobi, Kenya, in a 42-year-old Mercedes-Benz — with a complete stranger.

The news came to me via a friend who follows such things on social media. His text message: “You have to check out what these ladies are doing.” Of course, overland road trips are a long-standing tradition in Africa, so this didn’t seem like news. However, as I dug a little deeper it became a lot more interesting.

Ritchie is a 62-year-old Brit who calls South Africa home. She is a full-time caregiver to her infirm parents, but enjoys the outdoors and became tired of watching life pass her by.

“This all started when I saw this Mercedes on Facebook marketplace after a local rally called the Bull Run. I am not really a Mercedes fan, or of yellow cars for that matter, but I saw this yellow W123 [Mercedes-Benz series] and fell for it,” she says.

The 1981 240D has since been christened Mustafa and has accumulated a worldwide following online from W123 fans.

As for the name? “How do I explain without sounding insane?” Ritchie replies. “As soon as my son drove this hideous car through our gates, the name popped into my head. I also knew that I was going to do the trip in this car.” 

The journey won’t be Tanya’s first cross-country expedition. “In 1994, I drove from the UK to Gambia in a Series III Landy [Land Rover]. Since then the idea of a Joburg to Mombasa trip has been on my mind,” she explains. 

“You won’t believe me, but I still have my Michelin fold-out map of Central and Southern Africa that I used for the 1994 trip. I had planned to use the same map this time. When I opened the section for this trip the route was already highlighted.”

Yes, you read that right, they are using a paper map to navigate across multiple countries, no satellite navigation or mobile phone apps. “They” refers to Tanya and her co-pilot, Helen Hahn, whom she had yet to meet in person at the time of writing.

Ritchie wanted to conduct the trip with a stranger, so she posted an advert on Facebook for a co-pilot and fellow adventurer. Almost 80 people responded. She explains the “selection” process: “I started to interview all the candidates through video calls. From the moment I spoke to Helen I just knew. She was equally keen for this adventure and full of enthusiasm.”

Hahn, who lives in Oman, says: “I saw Tanya’s video and post on Facebook. It just made me giggle at how fun and crazy it would be; such an unusual adventure. I instantly knew Tanya and I would get on. My expectations of the trip are to see some African delights while driving a beautiful, classic Mercedes, one of the best cars to drive.”

The pair leave Johannesburg on March 3 and plan to drive through Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, up the west side of Tanzania across to the Indian Ocean at Dar es Salaam and into Kenya. Along the way they plan to visit Makgadikgadi Pan, Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba, Lake Malawi and the Tanzanian city of Arusha.

“The route is definitely not cast in stone,” Ritchie quickly points out. “This is Africa after all. We are at the mercy of the elements. We will be asking people on Facebook to tell us about road and weather conditions ahead.

“Once we arrive on the Kenyan border, the W123 club there wants to escort us across and another club will be joining us for the drive into Nairobi. The car really is the star here.”

The distance is expected to be about 5,000km and they’ll be doing the trip without a mechanic or support vehicles. You can follow their adventures on their Facebook page: Two Women and a Merc. 

If you would like to support the adventure-seekers, email Twowomenandamerc@aol.com