Bluff Meat Supply (BMS) has grown from humble beginnings on the Bluff in Durban in 1960 to become a significant brand in the province, now comprising 15 retail butcheries and state-of-the-art manufacturing plants that supply the country’s largest retail chains.
With a passion for serving the local community and a rich heritage of cycling, we are proud to announce that Bluff Meat Supply has become a partner of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy.
What started out as a group of cycling mates, supported by Mark Bielovich personally and later by Bluff Meat Supply (the company), BMS Cycling has established a credible reputation in the road cycling fraternity, as well as to a lesser extent in Mountain Biking and Triathlons over the past seven years, as a KZN-based top amateur age group squad.
This year, BMS Cycling took a decision to not only focus on their own racing achievements, but to also make a meaningful difference in cycling development. As a proudly KZN business and team, a partnership with the GO!Durban Cycle Academy provides them with the perfect opportunity to give back to the community.
BMS will support the grassroots development of the academy as well as the top riders in the programme who will become the pro-am team and who will benefit from mentorship and social integration with the BMS Cycling team.
“We will help fuel them with the BMS competitive spirit, imparting knowledge and experience where appropriate, and try to get them to hold our wheel!” Bielovich says enthusiastically.
“Our ambition is to support and help prepare these young boys and girls for the world stage. For BMS Cycling to positively impact the future of South African cycling, from our roots in KZN, will be most gratifying.”
Shaun Peschl, Programme Director of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy and Director of Peschl Sports is also thrilled at the partnership.
“We are very excited to welcome Mark and his team to the academy family as we take the next step in this journey together. We have always had the vision of expanding our partner network and we believe that with the support of local businesses like Bluff Meat Supply, we will only grow from strength to strength. The mentorship that BMS Cycling will offer our team will provide them with valuable support and insight into a professional set up and we would like to thank them for offering their time and resources to invest in our young talent in this way.”
“Nothing is as contagious as enthusiasm” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
And nothing could be more true about the KwaMashu Bike Park and how the enthusiasm of the site manager, Brightson Dlala, and coach, Thobani Bhengu, has rubbed off on their community.
Six months ago, Thobani noticed a growing interest from parents asking how they could also learn to cycle like their kids at the GO!Durban Cycle Academy, so he sent out a message on the parents’ Whatsapp group and the response was incredible!
He now coaches 25 mothers from KwaMashu as well as other areas including Pinetown, Morningside and Inanda every Saturday morning while the GO!Durban Cycle Academy members are in tutoring sessions. The effect on the community has been so positive that the parents even ask to ride in the early morning hours before work.
“The moms love it because they can have fun and socialise with their friends while they are riding,” says Thobani. “Even those with health problems want to ride because it makes them feel better,” he explains.
While the approach for teaching parents to ride a bike may be slightly different to the fearless young kids, the result is the same – happy, smiling faces. And now the culture of cycling is spreading throughout the community.
“We can see a change in attitude and the way the bike park has made a difference in the community, all the way from the kids to the parents,” says Brightson. “It is growing faster and bigger than we thought it would. It is making a good impact.”
About Coach Thobani Bhengu:
Thobani Bhengu and the Cycle Academy members’ mothers
Thobani was born and raised in Soweto and moved to KZN in 2015 at the age of 20 to pursue a career in the marines, but fate had a different plan for him and led him to Durban Green Corridors in January 2017, where he began working as a bike coach at the KwaMashu site.
Thobani learnt to ride a bike from a young age and his BMX skills were made evident when he made it to the top 16 of the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship event in KZN in April this year.
His skills on two wheels and passion for the youth to succeed are a powerful combination, and he has earned the love and respect of his new community.
“The GO!Durban Cycle Academy is like home to me, it’s my home away from Johannesburg. It’s awesome because there are a lot of opportunities here for the kids.”
About Site Manager Brightson Dladla
Brightson Dladla (Left) and Thobani Bhengu (Right)
Brightson was born and bred in KZN and has been very involved in playing sports as a way of staying off the streets since he was a young boy. He now has three children of his own (aged 13, 3 and 2) and is passionate about sharing the valuable life lessons he learnt from sport with others in his community.
He was previously employed by Durban Green Corridors and joined the GO!Durban Cycle Academy in 2016 when the construction of the KwaMashu bike park was underway.
While Brightson is slightly older than the other coaches, he is young at heart and brings a great level of wisdom to the programme.
“I see my role as being a mentor to the kids, because the academy is not just about cycling, it’s also about helping kids to overcome their problems,” he explains. “It inspires me to work with the kids.”
“Durban Green Corridors and the GO!Durban Cycle Academy have changed so many people’s lives; they give job opportunities for people like me and others in the community. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I hope that we can see the programme growing from strength to strength.”
For more information about how to get involved with the adults programme, please email us at cycle@godurban.local:8890.
2018 marks the second year that the GO!Durban Cycle Academy is competing in the KZN Spur Schools MTB League and it has proven to be a season beyond expectations!
The racing team has performed consistently over the last three events (29 July, 19 August, 26 August), with their results improving each time and achieving a number of top 10 finishes.
The flashes of bright green GO!Durban kit have become instantly recognisable on the course with our riders competing in almost all of the age categories, from Primary School through to High School, and 40% of these being girls.
“The Spur MTB Schools League is an annual highlight on our racing calendar as it really puts our training during the year to the test,” says Shaun Peschl, Programme Director of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy and Director of PeschlSports. “We have seen significant improvement in our team from last year and being able to consistently put up to 22 riders on the start line is a proud achievement for us.”
“We are particularly impressed with our ladies’ results and we are hoping to send some of our female athletes to represent the province at the National finals.”
As the first development programme in KZN to train female cyclists, Head Coach Siyabonga Njiva is also very pleased with the ladies’ performance to date:
“The girls are improving with each race. It’s their first XCO series so it’s still new to them, but they are doing very well and we’re on the right track.”
For the academy as a whole, the Spur Schools MTB League is the foundation of competitive XCO racing and is a training ground for young riders to hone their skills, before moving up to compete in the more difficult National MTB XCO Cup Series.
“I’d like to say thanks to Spur and the organising team for allowing us the opportunity to participate in the league,” says Njiva.
“For us, it’s bikes and school; we work on the basis that you have to pass the term in order to race so the kids make sure that they pass at school so that they are able to race in the Spur series. Even if they come last, that medal means a lot to them!”
With just one more provincial race to go, the stakes will be high at Thomas Moore College in Kloof on the 9th of September 2018 with all riders hoping to collect as many points as possible to qualify for the National Spur Schools’ MTB League finals, taking place in Gauteng in October.
Upcoming Race:
KZN Spur Schools MTB League #4: 9 September 2018
“The difference between a broken community and a thriving one is the presence of women who are valued.” – Michelle Obama.
Women play a pivotal role in our communities and the GO!Durban Cycle Academy places enormous focus on ensuring that the women in our organisation are acknowledged, valued and supported.
This August, we celebrate Women’s Month by taking a closer look at the phenomenal women who keep the wheels turning at the GO!Durban Cycle Academy!
1. Andiswa Susan Dlamini: KwaDabeka Bike Park Site Manager
Susan was born and bred in KwaZulu-Natal. After her father passed away when she was just 12 years old, she went to live with the family where her mother was employed as a domestic worker and she remained with them throughout her high school years at Durban Girls’ High.
“Even though I was wearing a second-hand uniform because we couldn’t afford a new one, my Mom was determined to take me to that school because she wanted me to have a better education and better opportunities than her.”
After high school, Susan received a scholarship to Rhodes University, but there was no way she could afford to pay for housing, transport and food expenses as the bursary only covered the cost of tuition. So, Susan opted to stay close to home and go to the Durban University of Technology. In her first year, she unexpectedly fell pregnant with her daughter, but she did not allow that to deter her vision for her future. Instead, motherhood fuelled her to achieve even higher.
“My mom and daughter are the best investments in my life. Everything I do, I do for them.”
Susan started working for Durban Green Corridors (DGC) as an intern in 2012.
“I needed practical experience to pass my Diploma,” she explains. “I was so inspired by the community involvement and the youth programme at Isithumba and I wanted to bring that same inspiration to KwaDabeka because my passion is to develop communities.”
After convincing her mentor Gary Cullen to open a site in her own community, Susan became the site manager in the same year. Later, in 2015, she had the opportunity to spend time with Weltwärts, a development volunteer service in Germany, through DGC’s environmental sustainability partnership with the City of Bremen. This experience really formed the foundation of her expertise in managing youth programmes and how to liaise with local schools and other community stakeholders.
She came back to South Africa in 2016 where she played a critical role in the launch of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy bike park in KwaDabeka.
When asking Susan what her favourite part of her job is, she answers without hesitation – “Making a difference; having an impact in someone else’s life. We could have no budget and I’d still do it.”
“Without this academy, our kids would be playing on the streets – we’d have teenage girls who are pregnant and teenage boys involved in drugs and gangs. It’s a place where kids come to feel safe, where they are never judged, but they are able to be themselves and they are always pushed to become better.”
“Children are a reflection of the community that they come from and one day when they are businessmen and women or entrepreneurs, I want them to say: ‘if it wasn’t for that academy, I wouldn’t be here. It embedded the morals that I have, it kept me away from bad things and because of the academy I’m able to be a proud ambassador of my community.'”
And lastly her closing thoughts on the power of women: “I think women are underestimated a lot. I would love to see more female coaches; I would love to see our young girls growing up to be coaches and giving back to their communities as well.”
2. Nonhlanzeko Purity Mpanza: KwaDabeka Bike Park Site Assistant
From Left to Right: Sthabile, Mbali, Nomfundo, Nomonde and Nonhlanzeko (KwaDabeka Site Administrator)
Nonhlanzeko was also born in KwaZulu Natal, but growing up in the Apartheid era forced her parents and 3 siblings (two brothers and a sister) to move around a lot. She still lives with her parents today and is a mother to an eight-year old daughter.
“Growing up I wanted to be a psychologist, but as I grew older and I became a Mom I was drawn to kids so I decided to enrol for my BA degree in Education through UNISA, specialising in Senior Phase and FET.”
At the time when Durban Green Corridors was establishing their site in KwaDabeka, Nonhlanzeko was pursing her dream of becoming a teacher by gaining experience as a volunteer at the community nursery school on the site – Letukhanya.
Susan recruited her for the DGC job where she now fulfils multiple roles as the Site Assistant, Youth Programme Facilitator and Academic Coordinator.
Despite her quiet and calm demeanour, Nonhlanzeko’s enthusiasm for the youth in her community is unmistakable.
“Seeing the smiles on the kids faces when they come here blesses me every day. If children come here, they won’t be the same as the other kids in the community. We teach them respect, responsibility, to appreciate one another, and to love themselves.”
Her vision for the future of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy is to see at least one of the kids pursuing cycling professionally, but more importantly, for the youth to grow up to be successful and to come back and be an example to the others and show them that everything started here, at the academy, to motivate them.
Similarly to Susan, Nonhlanzeko goes above and beyond the description of her job title and is a trusted mentor to the kids, particularly the young girls.
“I want them to know that we are all human and we make mistakes, but the important thing is to rise above those mistakes and never think that some things are impossible – if you put your mind to it, you can achieve it.”
3. Nomonde Makwa: Inanda Bike & Tourism Park Administrator
Hailing from Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape, Nomonde moved to KwaZulu-Natal with her family in 2007. She started working for Durban Green Corridors in 2011 where she was trained as an Environmental Educator by Debbie Bennett and they worked alongside each other, going to schools to encourage environmental awareness and conservation among learners and educators.
Nomonde is married to Lonwabo Makwa who is the Youth Sports Coordinator at Inanda and together they have three children – a daughter (17) and two sons (14 and 7).
Nomonde’s role includes overseeing site operations and accompanying the kids to sports events, particularly the trail running team which is coached by Lonwabo.
“I love working with the kids and seeing their smiling faces when they come to the site!”
Although her background is in environmentalism and tourism, a love for sports has also rubbed off on her.
“I did my first trail run in May [2018]. I also enjoy road running and I do events like the Spar Ladies Run and Total Sports Women’s Race.”
Her unique blend of skills for environmental education and youth sports development makes this formidable wife and mom-of-three an invaluable asset.
“What we are doing for the youth is so important for the community and I want to make sure that our programme can empower them for the future, so that they can be successful even after they have matriculated and left our programme.”
Two riders from the GO!Durban Cycle Academy have been awarded full scholarships to attend Northwood High School as part of the academy’s long term plan to invest more heavily in education, backed by GO!Durban and the eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA).
(L to R) Grant LeRoux, Mcendisi Mkhize, Lungani Mbambo, Paul Viljoen and Shaun Peschl – Credit Sifiso Mngoma
Mcendisi Mkhize (Grade 8) and Lungani Mbambo (Grade 11) started participating in the cycling activities at the first GO!Durban Cycle Academy bike park in Inanda, managed by Mr. Nhlanhla Sibiya and Mrs. Nomonde Magwa, in 2016, and quickly became members of the racing team after showing much promise on the bike.
The young men have now taken a giant leap forward in their sporting and academic journeys, enrolling as learners and full time boarders at Northwood High School, in Broadway, Durban North.
They will be following in the footsteps of Northwood Alumni, Cayde Muldoon, who was instrumental in the success of the Northwood Cycling Team during his tenure at the school and continues to achieve top 10 race results in the province as an ambassador of the academy.
To assist in this journey, the two have started an elite athlete training and development programme with Peschl Sports.
Mcendisi Mkhize and Lungani Mbambo at the entrance to Northwood High School – Credit Sifiso Mngoma
“It is very important for the boys to be in close proximity to gym facilities and their coaches, and to have consistent nutrition in order to improve their natural talent. Thanks to our partnership with Northwood we are now able to offer them this,” says Shaun Peschl, Director of Peschl Sports and manager of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy sports programme.
“Education is also a critical component of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy and we apply a strict ‘no pass, no race’ rule. Therefore it was imperative for us to make sure that our top riders have access to the best available basic education so that they are well-rounded and well-educated athletes,” explains Peschl.
“Mcendisi and Lungani are the pioneers of this programme, and we believe that they will serve as beacons of hope to their peers as we strive to enhance the academic support offered to all members of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy.”
The boys are adjusting well to their new school and are eagerly preparing for the start of the national Spur MTB Schools Series this weekend (Sunday 29 July 2018), with the hopes of adding to Northwood’s already prestigious trophy cabinet.
“This is an opportunity for Mcendisi and Lungani to take their lives to another level,” says Mr. Paul Viljoen, headmaster of Northwood High School. “We are very excited about their talent and will do our best to develop this, as we do with every other boy in our school. We uphold very high academic and sporting standards at Northwood and we look forward to seeing these two young men thriving in our environment and achieving great results.”
Hoopers VW and the GO!Durban Cycle Academy spent Mandela Day empowering youth and celebrating the value of education.
The activities included a handover of 40 school bags and stationery donated by the 80 members of staff at the Hoopers VW dealership. 10 volunteers from the dealership, including the Managing Director Mr. Dave Hooper, spent their 67 minutes for Mandela Day with the children on site, playing fun games led by the coaches and nurturing their creativity with colouring books and “playdough”.
Education is a key pillar of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy with academic support provided to learners by tutors every Saturday morning before riding commences. At the end of every term, learners are required to share their school reports with the site managers, and a strict “no pass, no race” rule is applied to riders in the race team.
“In the first term this year, our site had a 61% pass rate,” says Brightson Dldadla, KwaMashu Site Manager. “The kids are very dedicated to the extra classes and we have seen improvement in their marks. We are expecting the overall pass rate for Term 2 to be higher.”
“In line with the National Development Plan, we believe that access to quality basic education is the foundation of a successful future for our youth,” explains Shaun Peschl, Sports Director of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy.
“We use sports as a means to empower the youth, and in addition to the life skills that they learn on the bike, we simultaneously provide academic support to ensure that they have multiple avenues of opportunities available to them once they matriculate and thus increase their chances of employability as active citizens in their communities.”
“We are grateful to our partners, Hoopers VW, for their investment which has greatly motivated, inspired and enabled members of the academy to keep working hard in school and pursuing academic excellence,” Peschl concludes.
The Inanda trail runners celebrated Youth Day through sports with a day of running! They competed in distances of 5km and 10km with stellar results.
The event was a partnership between Blaeque Amyoli Events and Inanda Quadi AC, and sponsored by the KZN Department of Sports and Recreation.
5km
Boys:
3rd: Msizi Msomi
Girls:
1st : Sisanda Skhakhane
2nd : Lusanda Luthuli
3rd : Asanda Ngubane
4th : Thobeka Khuzwayo
10km
The ladies dominated again in the 10km, taking all three podium spots:
1st : Sphumelele Gumede
2nd : Mandisa Mkhunya
3rd : Nokbonga Zungu
Boys:
1st : Mbuleli Mathanga
3rd : Nkosinathi Mndaba
“On your marks,…” – our runners get set to get going!
On Sunday, the Youth Day celebrations continued with the Qaphe Eqolo Road Race where our own Mbuleli Mathanga placed 4th overall in the competitive 21km (half marathon).
The juniors also put on yet another impressive performance with podium finishes for the boys and girls in the 5km and 10km.
10km
Male Juniors: Nkosinathi Mndaba 2nd place
Female Juniors: Asanda Ngubane 3rd place
5km
Males: Musawenkosi Zungu 1st place
Females: Lusanda Luthuli 1st place; Asanda Ngubane 2nd place
Our very own Mbuleli Mathanga (centre) placed in an impressive 4th overall in the competitive 21km (half marathon).
EThekwini Skateboarding Club (ESC) puts kids on track to a brighter future
The ESC held their first official event at the GODurban Cycle Academy pump track at KwaDabeka on June 16. Founded in May 2017, the organisation aims to engage with and inspire township kids to reach their potential skills through skateboarding.
With 15 kids aged between 7 – 17 years in the programme, they first started training on a public road, but thanks to the partnership with the GO!Durban Cycle Academy they are now able to skate safely on the pump track on Sunday and Monday afternoons.
“We are excited for this partnership with the eThekwini Skateboarding Club which enables us to reach more kids with the positive impact of sport. We are proud to see multi-sport use of the pump track in the KwaDabeka community, says Shaun Peschl, Sports Director of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy.
“Having an event has significantly boosted the confidence of our kids,” says Musa, the founder of the organisation. “Thanks to Durban Green Corridors and GO!Durban for giving us a place we can call home; we appreciate their help in hosting our event!”.
The winners for the day were:
1st place : Lindokuhle Mlitwa
2nd place : Malusi Nzama
3rd place : Ngcina Zuma
4th place : Shaka Ngcongo
“By helping these youngsters we are trying to bring hope to the community and keep the kids away from the streets. By doing so we believe their future will look brighter for them,” concludes Musa.
The 5thleg of the inaugural Red Bull Pump Track World Championship series is set to take place in Durban, KwaZulu Natal on Saturday, 28 April 2018. The South African qualifier round will be hosted by the GO!Durban Cycle Academy and Durban Green Corridors at the KwaDabeka bike park, where they have recently built the first Velosolutions pump track in the province.
The circuit is designed to be “ridden” without the need for pedalling as riders create momentum around the track with their up and down “pumping” body movements.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with Velosolutions and Claudio Caluori to bring this exciting event to Durban and we are proud to be the South African representatives in the global series. The aim of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy is to inspire and motivate the youth through sport. Together with Durban Green Corridors, we are transforming previously disregarded or unusable areas into clean, accessible and safe spaces for the youth to engage in active learning through our youth development programme which includes sports, education, and life skills components,” says Thami Manyathi, Head of the eThekwini Transport Authority.
“When we first heard about Claudio Caluori’s concept for an international Pump Track series, we immediately knew that our sites would be the ideal place to build a track as we already had the space and basic infrastructure available. By bringing the track and the qualifying event to Durban, we hope to encourage more community participation in cycling and to further promote a lifestyle of active mobility amongst all ages,” says Shaun Peschl, Sports Director of the GO!Durban Cycle Academy.
With athletes coming from across the country to participate in the hopes of winning the coveted first prize including a trip to the Red Bull Pump Track World Championship Finals, it is sure to be a day of fast-paced, nail-biting competition. The racing line-up will also include riders and coaches from the GO!Durban Cycle Academy who are eager to display their skills on home-ground.
“It is important for us to not only host such events, but also to give our riders the opportunity to participate at an international level. We have no doubt that they will be competitive on the day and will make us proud.” Peschl concludes. Entertainment will be on offer for spectators including a food and drinks garden, and the racing will be followed by a line-up of hot local DJ’s on the Red Bull stage.
For more information and regular updates visit the GO!Durban Website or Facebook Page.
Three youngsters from Inanda, enrolled in the GO!Durban Cycle Academy, have been selected to participate in national interprovincial final of the Spur Schools Mountain Bike League at Bekker High School in Magaliesberg, Gauteng this weekend.
eThekwini Municipal Mayor, Cllr Zandile Gumede, handed Kusaselihle Ngidi (17) from Siyajabula High School, Mncedisi Mkhize (14) and Lungani Mbambo (16) both from Mbheki Secondary School, their official GO!Durban team blazers ahead of their departure with their coach Siyabonga Njiva, and 19 other KZN cyclists. They are 3 of 400 riders representing 60 schools from the Southern African region.
Coach Jika explained to the Mayor that the Spur Schools MTB League is the largest high school cycling programme in the world, and these youngsters had a fair chance of doing exceptionally well.
The Cycle Academy is a development programme within GO!Durban – the new integrated public transport system which will eventually link the City through dedicated bus lanes, rail routes and a system of walkways and cycle lanes for non-motorised transport such as cycling.
The academy was launched in January 2016 and is based within cycle parks – the first at eNanda Adventure Park, and then one in KwaMashu and another in KwaDabeka, now boasting approximately 300 participants who go to the parks after school to learn to ride after having completed their homework under supervision.
The Mayor congratulated the boys on their achievement and wished them well for the race. “We are very proud of you. Go do your best!” she said.
The GO!Durban Cycle Academy, which was launched in January this year, in an endeavour by the eThekwini Municipality to encourage and develop a culture of cycling in the city, is fast becoming a team to watch. Last weekend they notched up some impressive podium appearances at the Roag Stihl Sharks Classic that was held in Shongweni on Sunday (December 4).
On the starting line were five of the Academy’s most experienced riders from the eNanda Adventure Park site along with one of the coaches.
The team which started in humble beginnings in the F batch in their first races this year, began this race in the C batch and the six managed to ride through the field up to A batch, claiming the top three positions in the junior category, and also first place in the under sixteen category.
“This would be the first podium the boys have achieved and it’s really amazing seeing them so fired up and excited,” enthused team manager Shaun Peschl of Peschlsports Pro Development, official mentors of the GO!Durban Cycling Academy. For more information click here.
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