Pupils to help out on Tour

Running a water station to raise funds for matric farewell

PUPILS at Masiphumelele High School will be getting involved in Sunday’s Cape Town Cycle Tour. Yesterday, the organisers handed out specially made T-shirts to pupils who will be helping to run a water station. This, in turn, will help them raise funds for their matric farewell.

“Thank you to everyone of you who will be assisting us on the day with our water point. We want you to not think of this as a job. It’s about having fun,” said David Bellairs, the tour’s media and marketing manager.

He also thanked the principal for partnering with the cycle tour.

“Thank you for your assistance, and we hope that this is the start of a very good, long relationship,” he said.

Last year’s iconic cycle tour had to be cancelled for a number of reasons, one of them being civil unrest in the fast-growing township of Masiphumelele.

Protesters set up burning barricades outside the township along the route.

The organisers had planned to divert cyclists away from the protests, but it was later decided, in the interests of safety, that the tour be cancelled entirely.

There were also fires along the South Peninsula last year, as well as strong winds that gusted at up to 120km/h at some points.

The Masiphumelele pupils will be situated at the water stations from 6am.

“As a school we are looking forward to the event and we are proud to be working with them,” said school principal Nelson Mafrika. “This will hopefully prompt the pupils to pursue a career in cycling, and have them excited for the event, and keep it alive,” he said.

Pro cyclist Songezo Jim has a cycling academy in Masiphumelele township and will be participating in the tour with 30 of his students.

Jim established the academy in 2016, to give teenagers a healthy focus in their lives.

“We know that some of Jim’s students will be participating in the tour, so this is very exciting for him and for us,” Bellairs said.

‘AS A SCHOOL WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. WE’RE PROUD TO BE WORKING WITH THEM’

PICTURE: DAVID RITCHIE/AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA) EXCITED: Masiphumulele High School pupils with principal Nelson Mafrika, David Bellairs, Jason Stone and Ken Sturgeon of the Cape Town Cycle Tour, Collen Nkune and Min-Kyn Kim of the World Mission Society Church of God and water station manager...