Hendrik Coetzee
Encyclopedia
Hendrik "Hendri" Coetzee (born c. 1975 - 7 December 2010) was a renowned South Africa
n outdoorsman and author. He was killed after being taken by a crocodile in December 2010.
Coetzee gained prominence in 2004 leading the first-ever Nile River source-to-sea expedition. The expedition set off from Lake Victoria in Uganda on 17 January, reaching Khartoum on 25 March and the Mediterranean Sea at Rosetta
on the 21st of May. The purpose of the trip was to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in the region in partnership with CARE. Following claims that the expedition had not begun from the true source of the Nile, Coetzee's party undertook a further journey from Kagera to Lake Victoria in April 2005, adding 750 km to the 6700 km they completed in 2004.
Coetzee was leader of an expedition going from the source of the White Nile
into the Congo at the time of the attack. The trip was the first-of-its-kind kayaking expedition from the White Nile
and Congo river
s into the Congo to explore the Ruzizi
and Lualaba River
s. The two other men on the trip, Americans and also experienced kayakers, were documenting unexplored whitewater and development projects in the region.
A memorial service for Coetzee was held on 28 January 2011.
The documentary short film Kadoma about Coetzee was released in 2011.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n outdoorsman and author. He was killed after being taken by a crocodile in December 2010.
Coetzee gained prominence in 2004 leading the first-ever Nile River source-to-sea expedition. The expedition set off from Lake Victoria in Uganda on 17 January, reaching Khartoum on 25 March and the Mediterranean Sea at Rosetta
Rosetta
Rosetta is a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. It is located east of Alexandria, in Beheira governorate. It was founded around AD 800....
on the 21st of May. The purpose of the trip was to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in the region in partnership with CARE. Following claims that the expedition had not begun from the true source of the Nile, Coetzee's party undertook a further journey from Kagera to Lake Victoria in April 2005, adding 750 km to the 6700 km they completed in 2004.
Coetzee was leader of an expedition going from the source of the White Nile
White Nile
The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...
into the Congo at the time of the attack. The trip was the first-of-its-kind kayaking expedition from the White Nile
White Nile
The White Nile is a river of Africa, one of the two main tributaries of the Nile from Egypt, the other being the Blue Nile. In the strict meaning, "White Nile" refers to the river formed at Lake No at the confluence of the Bahr al Jabal and Bahr el Ghazal rivers...
and Congo river
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
s into the Congo to explore the Ruzizi
Ruzizi River
The Ruzizi , is a river which flows from Lake Kivu to Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa, descending rapidly from about 1,500 metres above sea level to about 770 metres above sea level over its length...
and Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...
s. The two other men on the trip, Americans and also experienced kayakers, were documenting unexplored whitewater and development projects in the region.
A memorial service for Coetzee was held on 28 January 2011.
The documentary short film Kadoma about Coetzee was released in 2011.