Plett pupils get their own wheels

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - More than 140 Bitou learners now have bicycles and safety gear to assist them on their journey to school.

This is thanks to the Shova Kula bicycle programme - an initiative by the National Department of Transport.

The programme is aimed at assisting learners who walk between 3km and 5km to school every day to access basic education.

The 141 bicycles were handed over to learners from various schools at the Kwanokuthula sports grounds last Thursday during the Garden Route visit by the Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga.

She visited various towns to inspect road construction projects worth more than R2bn undertaken by the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (Sanral) along the Garden Route.

During her visit to Plettenberg Bay she handed over the bikes and helmets to learners, together with Bitou's leadership. So far, the programme has benefited more than 100 000 learners.

The brand-new yellow bicycles ready to go at the handover.

Chikunga also received updates on the progress of several road construction projects along the Garden Route, including a R100m upgrade and construction of a roundabout of the N2 Beacon Way intersection in Plettenberg Bay.

Other projects include a R230m reseal project as part of periodic maintenance on the N2 between Dekriet and Mossel Bay, the R700m upgrade of the N2 between Kraaibosch and Touw River in Wilderness, a similar-sized upgrade between the Touw River and Die Vleie; and the R160m Thembalethu Bridge in George.

Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga during her visit to Plettenberg Bay.