Paddle power gives learners easy access to education
The lives of 25 learners in the Utrecht area were changed for the better this week when KwaZulu-Natal Premier Mr Senzo Mchunu and Agriculture MEC Meshack Radebe handed over bicycles to pupils who live more than 15 kilometres from school.
One of the beneficiaries Nompumelelo Ndlozi said her new bicycle will shorten her day, meaning she no longer has to leave home early to walk to school, where she arrives already tired. Most children in rural communities have to travel long distances to get to schools, most of which are ill-equipped.
The bicycles which were handed over under Operation Sukuma Sakhe and are manufactured by Buffalo Bicycles, a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of World Bicycle Relief-a non-profit organisation transforming lives through the power of bicycles.
Buffalo Bicycles are designed, tested and assembled in Africa, providing jobs in the local economy.
Mchunu said this mode of transport will help improve the quality of education for the learners by ensuring they get to school on time, while also providing physical training to the user. Mchunu and members of his Cabinet have spent three days in the Amajuba district where he dealt with various community issues including problems facing farmers and farm workers.
Enquiries:
Ndabezinhle Sibiya (Mr)
Spokesperson for Senzo Mchunu: Premier of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal
Cell: 082 3754742
Phone: 031 327 9360 or 033 341 3320 / 3342
Fax: 086 602 3086
E-mail: ndabezinhlesibiya@yahoo.com or ndabezinhl.sibiya@kznpremier.gov.za
