Children in Khayelitsha to cycle to school

By Chanel September
31 October 2006

For a lot of children riding a bicycle is for fun. In some townships however it’s a way to get to and from school.

In Khayelitsha many students have to walk more than 30 minutes to get to their classrooms.

The department of Transport and Public Works wants to make their journey a bit easier. The government is giving 50 bikes to 10 schools in the Khayelitsha.

That, however, is only enough for five students in each school.

Schools will give bikes to those underprivileged students who live within a three to five kilometre radius and who do not receive subsidies.

Several students gathered to see the bikes being handed over to their school principals. They say that they are very happy.

Bicycles were also given to schools in Malmesbury. Two hundred bicycles in all were given to both communities.
MEC for transport and Public Works in the Western Cape, Marius Fransman, was at Masiphumelele Primary school in Khayelitsha for the presentation.

He says “the focus is to make sure that the bicycles are used to get to various destinations and to encourage people in the province to use bicycles as a form of transport.”