As the festive season began in earnest, cyclists mourned the loss of Idries Sheriff, who was a father, husband, road cyclist and friend to many, and who sadly lost his life on 16 December 2025.

On the morning of the 16th of December 2025 Idries went out on his last long ride. While friends had hoped to meet with him on the road, as they always do, news came in that Idries had been struck by a drunk driver behind the wheel of a high performance sports vehicle racing up Victoria Drive as one enters Camps Bay from the direction of Clifton. Idries was, according to eyewitness accounts, struck head on as the driver of the vehicle lost control and swerved across the oncoming lane and onto the pavement. 

Many know Idries to be someone who acted independently on the bike, joining the cycling community for races or events but enjoying the peace and mental solitude solo rides offered him. Cycling was more than simply a recreational activity for him: it was a lifeline, a way of reconnecting with himself, his body, and his city.

Sadly, Idries joins other pedestrians, runners, and cyclists who have lost their lives to extreme and reckless driving by those under the influence in Cape Town and along the Atlantic Seaboard specifically. Idries’s fatality tells the tale of two lifestyles. In one, someone sought healthy outlets for life’s many stresses by building community and friends and enjoying the unending beauty of our city in ways that respected fellow road users. The other is a picture of a lifestyle in which an outlet for life’s many stresses is sought in actions that endanger others and the safety of all. It is sad that it is the likes of Idries who paid the ultimate price, while such behavior continues on our roads. Because of this, we as concerned cyclists believe that the full extent of the law should be sought in the prosecution of the individual who, through his drinking and driving coupled with reckless driving, caused the accident. We cannot allow such actions to go unpunished and endanger public safety in the way that it has.

As concerned cyclists, we are asking the law to intervene by undertaking the following actions in relation to this case:

• deny the bail of the accused, as he continues to be a danger to all road users over the December and festive period,
• ⁠to seek the fullest extent of the law in prosecuting this individual so as to ensure the repercussions of this kind of vehicular manslaughter is taken seriously

We also call on the City of Cape Town and its law enforcement agencies to

• tighten speeding regulations and to extend punishment for extreme abuses of the speed limit and drunk and reckless driving such as this case and others beyond just financial penalty by investigating other forms of enforcement and deterrent
• to ensure traffic service presence, blocks and checks for blood alcohol level at key times for pedestrian, cycling and sporting activities on weekends and public holidays, especially in high traffic areas such as the Atlantic Seaboard. 

These are some ways in which justice can begin to be served for the loss of our cyclist friend and his family. These are also important steps to ensure that the roads that we all enjoy are truly safe and available for all to benefit from. Cyclists remain a part of the road users in society, despite the sometimes demonised image they occupy in the minds of many motorists. At the best of times, and at the worst, they maintain the rules and are held to a higher standard than motorists to do so. This is while motor vehicles are far more dangerous to other road users. We believe that the road should be shared and this should not be disregarded for the interests of a few.

On 17 December 2025, the driver of the vehicle will appear before the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court to face charges of culpable homicide. We as the cyclist community will undertake a ride-in to the Cape Town Magistrates Court to ensure that the above stated demands are fairly considered and that our concerns are noted and seen by the powers that be. We will gather in Parade Street at 08:45, remove our helmets, and observe a minute of silence for our fallen friend, as well as the many other pedestrians and non-motorised road users who too have lost their lives to reckless and drunk driving. After this, we will then hand over our signed petition to the Chief Magistrate for consideration in their decision regarding the case at hand.

We call on all cyclists (and even other concerned individuals) to show up in your numbers to support justice for Idries.