Western Cape youngsters riding high on Robben Island

24 February 2017 - 19:56 By Aron Hyman
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Schoolchildren from the Western Cape were taken on a surprise visit to Robben Island.
Schoolchildren from the Western Cape were taken on a surprise visit to Robben Island.
Image: Aron Hyman

When Musfiekah Butler started cycling as a sport she never dreamed that someday she would ride freely on the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

On Friday the 19-year-old from Mitchells Plain was one of 138 learners from the Western Cape who were taken on a surprise tour of Robben Island.

The pupils are "development cyclists" and were ferried to the island by The Sports Trust‚ which is celebrating of 12 years of their schools development cycling programme.

Butler had only ever heard of Robben Island and read about it in school books. Most of her peers had never even seen a boat before.

There was another surprise for waiting for Butler - when they arrived on the island she was one of 15 of the programme's top performing cyclists who received bicycles and cycling kits from Nedbank.

"It was amazing! We were the first kids on bikes to have a tour on Robben Island‚" she said.

"We weren't actually expecting this. None of us knew about the ride to the island. None of us knew about the bikes we were going to get so it was actually a nice gesture‚" said Butler.

They received the bicycles and kits on a tiny sports field where Mandela and other political prisoners once played soccer.

Sports Trust spokesperson Carol Crawford‚ said they chose to take the children to Robben Island because "a lot of these children would just never ever get this opportunity".

She said the programme runs in the Cape Flats‚ the West Coast and the farming community of De Doors where children have to walk up to 15km to school every day.

"The Western Cape is very pro-cycling. Initially it [the programme] was started as a means to get to school because a lot of them are walking‚" she said.

Western Cape MEC for Cultural Affairs Anroux Marais accompanied the children.

"This program helps us to develop young people and in the end it helps them to develop more self-confidence and to become more independent individuals‚" said Marais. "It takes them out of a negative environment so instead of getting involved in gang violence they are getting involved in this positive activity."

Butler will participate in Cape Argus Cycle Tour in March. After she matriculates she hopes to join the Sports Trust's Development Club in the Cape Flats.

 

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