This week six cyclists will face gruelling distances on the road in a quest to tackle bullying in schools and promote child safety in rural areas. The Xtreme for Kids Cycle Tour departed from Roodepoort, visiting Parys on Wednesday. On Thursday they will be cycling from  to Welkom.

The tour was launched in 2013 by award winning child protection NGO, Matla A Bana – A voice against child abuse.  The aim of the tour was initially two-fold – to raise awareness of the plight of abused children and to raise funds for the charity.  It was then decided to use the tour as a vehicle to visit schools in rural areas who are often not exposed to child protection programs and this became the main focus of the tour.

The six cyclists participating in the 2025 tour include various high-profile businessmen, professionals and a police representative. All the cyclists are volunteering their time for this cause.  Garth Briggs (MD Wolf Security) is this year’s tour leader and he will be joined by Izak Du Plessis (Director Moore Stellenbosch), Andre Thys (Head Operations V&A Waterfront), Kai Bellman (German entrepreneur), Holder Marshall (Retiree and Director at the Stellenbosch Trail Fund) and Warrant Officers Jenestin Julies (Riebeeck West SAPS and SAPS WC Cycling team member).  The team have to cover the gruelling 1900kms in just 12 days and the route will take them from Johannesburg, through the Free State, the Eastern Cape and then to Cape Town via the Karoo.

The cyclists will be joined by an actor troupe who will be performing at schools along the route. School in towns like Winnie Mandela, Aberdeen, Willowmore, De Rust and Montagu will be visited by Captain Bully Buster who is there to sniff out the bullies and teach the children to protect themselves against bullies.

During the years Matla a Bana developed several programs in the form of theatre shows focussing mainly on child protection and teaching children to protect themselves.  A huge increase in the reporting of bullying after the COVID pandemic resulted in a new program focussing on bullying, what bullying is, how to report bullying and also to look out or those bullies who want to hurt or kidnap you.  Well-known rapper , Onblusbaar aka Dane Prins, is the bully and Paarl actor Reagan Reece Carolissen excels as the larger than life, Captain Bully Buster. To date the anti-bully program has visited more than 40 schools in five provinces and the program has reached more than 100 000 children across South Africa.

Matla A Bana was founded in 2002 by ex hostage Monique Strydom after being released from her hostage ordeal. She received a calling when still in captivity to come back to South Africa and help others in need. It was the rape of baby Tshepang which set the wheels in motion and Monique founded Matla A Bana and dedicated her life to help children who have been raped and abused. The charity has won numerous awards and also has a personal recommendation from the late President Nelson Mandela.  Matla A Bana also creates child friendly reporting facilities at police stations (currently has 40 of these across South Africa), supply comfort packs to child rape victims and train officers of the law to better assist rape and abuse victims.

The tour is hosted in partnership with the South African Police Services with whom Matla A Bana has a Memorandum of Understanding.