AFTER a 12-hour drive, a father-of-three has begun his cycle ride across Zimbabwe dressed as a clown to meet Robert Mugabe.

Richard Pantlin, from Hurst Street, Oxford, flew into South Africa and then crossed the border ready to start his journey across the troubled African nation to hand the feared leader a gift.

The 49-year-old and his cycling companion Asher Mupasi, a Zimbabwean living in Stoke-on-Trent, have started their 373-mile cycle ride from Zimbabwe’s second largest city, Bulawayo.

Along the way the pair hope to bring ‘clowning fun’ to locals with a host of jokes, magic tricks, and balloons.

Mr Pantlin said: “We are just arriving at the start of the actual bike ride in Bulawayo after a 12-hour drive through the night from Jo’burg – I got the Pretoria to Beit Bridge shift from 1am to 6am.

“But we had to stop near Beit Bridge to get the bicycle carrier re-welded as the bumps on the road had damaged it.”

The pair, who will play music on loudspeakers as they cycle, will now ride to the capital Harare where they plan to meet Mr Mugabe.

They hope to reach the city in time for Zimbabwean Independence Day, on April 18, and hand Mugabe a postcard Mr Pantlin bought on his only previous trip to Zimbabwe in 1987.

He intends for it to remind the controversial president, who has dominated Zimbabwean politics since coming to power in 1980, of happier times in the country at the start of his 20 years in rule.

The trip was organised by Mr Pantlin to raise about £12,000 for the charity Health Education and Learning Programme (Help) — enough to complete an orphanage in central Zimbabwe.

“We’ve just been photographed and interviewed by one of the national papers here, The Chronicle.

“We are just leaving Bulawayo having cycled in clown costume to the centre attracting lots of attention and laughter. “Things are fine. Food is easily available if you have foreign currency and the people are very hospitable.

“After the border, the main road into Bulawayo is a dirt track for 5km and full of stones that we had to get out and lift the car over.

“Meanwhile we had been warned of bandits there and saw baboons, which can be dangerous.”