When a provincial government says it is there for its people, and puts its money where its mouth is, it is not only encouraging but also extremely heart warming.
This is exactly what Alan Winde, Premier of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, did when he and a large contingent of his Cabinet ministers and staff recently embarked on their three-day Western Cape Government Bicycle Handover Tour through various Overberg towns.
After visiting Struisbaai and Napier, where bicycles were given to schools as well as a local neighbourhood watch, the second day of the tour started in front of the Theewaterskloof Municipality head office in Caledon on Wednesday 3 May. Dressed in brightly coloured branded cycling gear, with the slogan “For You”, the merry group of cyclists set off for Swartberg Secondary School as soon as Acting Municipal Manager Wilfred Solomons-Johannes fired the starting gun.
The delegation was enthusiastically received by Swartberg Secondary principal Adrienne Delport and his learners. Ricardo Mackenzie, Minister of Mobility, Anroux Marais, Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Agriculture, Sakkie Franken, Mayor of the Overberg District Municipality as well as Premier Alan Winde gave short, but to-the-point speeches which were at times greeted with shrieks of laughter by the audience.
The leaders of the Western Cape Government were clearly keen to show this was not just a tour of duty, or courtesy visits to the schools, but that they cared deeply about the emotional and physical well-being of all. Winde said it was a privilege to visit such a beautiful school and to hand bicycles over. He added: “A government can build a school, but a school becomes a school when you have a principal and teachers and you look after that school and it is important that all the school benches are filled.
“An important lesson for everybody is: always ask for a bit more, always do a bit more, always try to do a bit better. This school is for you. This is your opportunity to dream, your chance to build your future.”
Winde thanked BEN (Bicycling Empowerment Network) and the Pedal Power Association for their partnership in sponsoring the bicycles that were handed over. He also told the learners he was a diabetic and wanted them to be fit and healthy in mind and body by eating healthily and participating in sport. Winde urged them to obey the rules of the road when riding a bicycle and always to wear a helmet.
Meyer, in a very humorous way, demonstrated the analogy between a bicycle and a school. The front wheels are the teachers, handlebar is the principal, the back wheels are the learners, the seat is the school bench and the chain the books that need to be opened to learn, but together they all function as one, a single entity.
TWK Deputy Mayor John Michels thanked the delegation for including Theewaterskloof in its cycle tour and especially thanked the Premier for what he is doing for the youth.
The Premier, on Thursday, met with Dhesen Moodley, MD of Globeleq, majority owners of the Klipheuwel Wind Farm near Caledon, and also with Overstrand residents at the First Thursday event in Hermanus, where residents had the opportunity to meet him and his cabinet to discuss matters of concern. Also, on Thursday, which was the final day of the tour, Winde and his Cabinet, together with their partners, visited the Zwelihle and Mount Pleasant communities, where they also handed bicycles over.
