On Saturday 8 March 2025, in a remarkable display of endurance and dedication to child safety, the Xtreme for Kids Cycle Tour came to an end with the arrival of cyclists at the Willowbridge Shopping Centre in Bellville.
The tour, celebrating 10 years of existence, started in Johannesburg on 26 February when the six cyclists, accompanied by a large group of police cyclist, departed on the nearly 1900 km journey via the Free State, Eastern Cape and the Western Cape. Their mission was not just simply cycling many kilometres, but using their talents to educate children along the way on child protection and also to raise funds for the award-winning child protection organisation Matla A Bana – A voice against child abuse.
The tour was launched in 2013 by the charity and during the years of existence the charity developed several theatre shows to accompany the cyclists. These shows, focussing on primary schools, looked at topics like child protection, child safety and more recently bullying after they received many reports of increased bullying behaviour at schools and in home from both teachers and the police.
The cyclists were joined by well-known rapper Onblusbaar, also known as Ms Dane Prins (The Bully) and Paarl actor Mr. Reagan Reece Carolissen (Captain Bully Busters), who gave performances at local schools in the rural towns. Monique Strydom (Founder of Matla A Bana and tour organiser) shared the impact these shows have on children in rural areas who are often not exposed to such programs and are greatly at risk. One of the success stories of the project was the arrest and conviction of a paedophile (who was a travelling salesman) who tried to lure a child into a vehicle. The child remembered what he was taught during a Matla A Bana program and acted accordingly resulting in the arrest of the perpetrator. The acting team faced the harsh reality of the impact of bullying when they had to cancel a school program in Willowmore because the school had to lock down exactly the same time the show was scheduled because of a bully incident which escalated into violence.
The six cyclists in the 2025 tour all hail from the Western Cape with most of them being Stellenbosch boys. The tour leader Mr. Garth Briggs (Managing Director, Wolf Security) was joined by Mr. Izak Du Plessis (Director Moore Stellenbosch), Mr. Andre Theys (Head Operations V&A Waterfront), Mr. Kai Bellman (German entrepreneur and first international participant), Mr. Holden Marshall (Retiree and Director at the Stellenbosch Trail Fund) and Warrant Officers Jenestin Julies (SAPS Riebeeck West and SAPS WC Cycling team member). This was Mr Briggs first year as tour leader) after completely two tours) and during the award ceremony he was full of praise for his team. The group completed some gruelling stages of 250 km, 270 km and 230 km in three respective days setting some new records.
The group was welcomed in Bellville by several high ranking officials including Brig Alexander (Station Commander Bellville), Brig Kruger (Business Against Crime South Africa) and Ms Ronel Viljoen (DA Councillor). The project is done in partnership with the South African Police Services (with whom Matla A Bana has a formal agreement). This partnership and support has seen more than 100 000 children educated in child protection, thousands of police officers training in special skills to deal with GBV victims and the implementation of 40 child friendly reporting facilities across South Africa by Matla A Bana at specialised police units reaching more than 30 000 children a year.
In her closing remarks, the CEO and founder of Matla A Bana, Ms. Monique Strydom, praised the cyclists for their exceptional dedication, perseverance, hard work, and unwavering support that made the tour an unprecedented success, raising over R750 000 for future programmes. “Your commitment to our cause has truly made a difference in the lives of those we serve,” she said. She also extended heartfelt gratitude to the sponsors whose generous contributions were instrumental in making the event possible. “This was truly a team effort from the cyclists who spent hours on the road, the backup team who had to take care of their needs and safety, the school team who even worked in an extra show at a farm school when the kids greeted them next to the road, to wonderful people who donated drinks and snacks and cheered, to big companies whose sponsorship made it possible. 7500 children reached and this is only the start of the impact of this project,” she concluded, as the successful tour came to a close.
In the media
https://www.citizen.co.za/parys-gazette/news/news-news/2025/03/12/speke-sing-om-skole-boelies-te-stuit/
VIDEO FOOTAGE:
View the Xtreme for Kids Cycle Tour 2025 YouTube video here
ISSUED BY:
Monique Strydom
Tel : 083 212 9824
GROUP PHOTO:
PHOTO CREDIT : Piet Smith
CYCLIST PHOTO:
PHOTO CREDIT : Piet Smith
