Johannesburg, 24 Aug 2015
Dimension Data, in partnership with the City of Joburg, Qhubeka and Bhoni4Kasi, has sponsored 293 bicycles to learners at three high schools in Orlando, Soweto, to combat the frequent absenteeism and exhaustion experienced by learners walking to school in this area.
Lubabalo Dyantyi, Executive Director, Public Sector - Dimension Data Middle East & Africa at Dimension Data says, "In this region some learners walk for more than 60 minutes or over 6km to get to school. By the time they arrive, they are exhausted. Distance to school is a barrier that can be eliminated by using bicycles - with the bicycles we are donating to the learners, their time spent travelling to school will be reduced by up to 75%."
The recipient schools in Soweto are Noordgesig Secondary School, Orlando High School and Bona Comprehensive School. They were selected by the City of Jo'burg, which has been working closely with the Department of Transport over recent months, as well as the high schools' governing bodies and principals, to set up a sustainable bicycle distribution programme in the area.
Learners are required to meet certain qualifying criteria to be able to receive a Qhubeka Buffalo Bicycle, which is a robust bicycle engineered specifically for African terrain and load requirements. Learners selected for the programme will also be supported with bike safety and maintenance training, provided by Ekasi Cycle and Bhoni4Kasi, a cycling organisation that aims to address cycling challenges within Soweto communities.
"The Sowetan cycling scene is changing and we aim to be pioneers of this change," says Bhoni4Kasi's Raymond Rampolokeng. Bhoni4 Kasi's main focus is introducing cycling and creating club structures in and around Soweto, including focusing on bike riding skills development projects for schools, encouraging school cycling as form of transport, furthering road signage understanding and responsible cycling, greening the community, advocating for cycling infrastructure in the communities, bicycle recycling and upcycling, bicycle tours and even bicycle birding.
The City of Jo'burg has also built dedicated cycling paths in Orlando, stretching over 5km and in close proximity to the schools that will be receiving the sponsorship. The cycling paths provide a safer way for children to cycle to school.
Dyantyi continues, "As a technology company, we feel passionate about improving learners' access to information technology within the education system. One way of doing this is to ensure that they have the means to get to school.
"Dimension Data's purpose is to accelerate the ambitions of not only our clients and our people, but also our society. We want to invest in our future and make a lasting impact. That is why we continuously invest in South Africa's youth and education. We work with a number of organisations such as Qhubeka to make our vision a reality."
Qhubeka is World Bicycle Relief's programme in South Africa. World Bicycle Relief is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing education, health and economic opportunities by providing simple, sustainable transportation. Since Qhubeka's founding in 2005, it has delivered more than 58 000 specially designed, locally assembled bicycles to people across South Africa.
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