Not the usual Khayelitsha bike tour

It’s not the usual bicycle tour through a crowded township of over two million people. Neither is Siyabonga Mbaba the usual entrepreneur. Mbaba aims to uplift young people and change people’s perception of his suburb, Khayelitsha.
Mbaba is the founder and managing director for ‘Ride 2 Empower’, which not only runs bicycle tours through Khayelitsha but also focuses on micro-enterprise development. He aims to attract funding opportunities for social entrepreneurs from marginalised communities.
REVISION THE VILLAGE: Social ‘activator’ Siyabonga Mbaba hopes his cycle tours through Khayelitsha will help visitors see the township in a new light — as a place of creativity and innovation. His cycle route includes a stop at the giant mural created by Joburg graffiti artist Breeze Yoko.
Siyabonga comes from a poor background but is determined to not let his disadvantage hold him back.
“I don’t allow my circumstances to determine my destination,” he says.
He says he is motivated by doing what he enjoys and strives to collaborate with young people who share his ‘can do’ mentality. In so doing he hopes to inspire his community through education and by tapping into the creative spirit flowing there.
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