KILI INC ATTORNEYS Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
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KHAYELITSHA | MFULENI
Thursday, 12 September 2019 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Fax: 021 910 6501 | Email: news@cityvision.co.za
ECONOMY: NEW WAYS TO EXPLORE...
Bikes boost tourism SIYABONGA KALIPA
R
ide 2 Empower, a Khayelitsha- based cycling tourism company, is working tirelessly to boost local economy. Started by Siyabonga Mbaba in 2017, the company offers tourists an opportunity to explore Khayelitsha and some of its tourism hotspots on a bicycle. According to Mbaba they hope to bring investors to the area. The company is supported by Qhubeka, a non-profit organisation (NPO) that provides bicycles to poor communities in order for school children to attend schools and for adults to got to their jobs. On Friday 6 September, the company hosted Qhubeka on the streets of Khayelitsha to showcase their value and the role NPO plays in bringing investors to the community. Qhubeka also invite investors on tours. He added that with the tours offered Ride 2 Empower tries to fight unemployment in the township. He said he started the company with 25 bikes but now they have 40. “We rent the bikes to tourists for R70 and they get a tour for free. We also rent it to other tourism companies,” he said. Mbaba said he wants people of Khayelitsha to know the value Qhubeka brings to their neighbourhood by giving them bicycles. Regional manager for Qhubeka Ian Mills said they try to move communities forward by giving them bicycles. If they give children bicycles they get to keep it with their grades keep going up. Mills said adults get to use their bicycles for security patrols in the communities and that brings safety and security and create jobs. Mills said they hope to give bicycles to more communities.
Ride 2 Empower a tourism company that takes tourists on cycle tours. PHOTO: SIYABONGA KALIPA