Striving to raise crucial funds and introduce more children from underserved communities to the life-changing power of cycling, a passionate trio of cyclists has embarked on an ambitious 2 000-kilometre journey across South Africa.
Cycle2Ride founder Jaco Kotze, along with husband-and-wife duo Philip and Ronel van der Merwe, are set to complete their coast-to-coast cycling tour today.
Their journey began on March 18th in Port Nolloth on the West Coast and will conclude in Ballito on the East Coast.
Dubbed the West to East Coast Cycling Tour, the initiative aims to raise R2 million (approximately $108,000), with a goal of sponsoring 2 000 children to join the Cycle2Ride program.
The team encouraged the public and organisations to “sponsor a kilometre” — R1,000 ($50) for each of the 2 000 kilometres covered.
Sponsored by EduInnov8, the Cycle2Ride program opens up access to cycling for youth in rural and informal urban communities. Children in the program receive a maintained bicycle, coaching, and the opportunity to participate in events like the Bicycle League.
Funds raised will also support the organisation of short-track cluster events in local communities through the Bicycle League, helping bring cycling to areas that would otherwise have no access to the sport.
Kotze, who also heads the EduInnov8 Foundation, explained that although the foundation was officially registered in 2025, its work began in late 2023.
“The foundation was created to support the vision of EduInnov8 to improve education on the African continent at scale. While EduInnov8 focuses on technology to achieve this, the foundation focuses on the underlying social development aspects critical for educational reform. The foundation focuses on initiatives to inspire first generation learners and to activate schools as social development organs in their community. The foundation uses cycling and cycling events at schools to achieve this.”
The aim is to raise funds for the expansion of the Bicycle League, a social development initiative for children in rural and township areas.
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The tour is not just about raising funds. Along the route, the team observed the state of rural schools and how their decline impacts local economies.
“The program has been successfully operated the past two years with 50 children in the Bottelary area of Cape Town and we want to expand it to 2000 children. A secondary purpose of the tour was to observe the status of schools in the rural areas and the impact on the local economy.”
During the journey, some observations made were in towns where schools have dwindled or closed, significant investment in the local economy had been lost by the farmers and communities and were deteriorating rapidly.
“There is a direct connection between quality education establishments and economic sustainability. We also learned that commerce will import skills and export salaries where skills in local communities are lacking. This further contributes to extreme local poverty in spite of local industry progress.”
The trio plans to end their journey around midday on Wednesday in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal.
To continue to support the cause and assist more children, donate at: https://www.givengain.com/cause/144968/campaigns/30354/
To find out more, follow Cycle2Ride on Facebook.
