Ambitious and selfless Buhle Madlala using cycling to create jobs in the rural areas

Women’s Month is still in full swing in South Africa and this time the spotlight is on Buhle Madlala who aims to alleviate poverty and create jobs through cycling.  
 
Madlala is the co-founder of the National Cycling Academy Forum (NCAF) and looks to work together with courier companies as she wants to empower the youth by using bicycles. 
 
A brief profile on NCAF, this is the organisation for Rural and Township cycling enthusiasts and aims to transform the face of cycling in South Africa. 
 
Born in Pietermaritzburg but based in Limpopo, she said that they did this because they were not only focused on the high-performance riders and the pathway that would take the raw talent from grassroots to amateur all the way to the high-performance elite. 
 
In an interview with Indepndent Media Online, Madlala is a ‘launcher’ of note as her Instagram page suggests that she has met several powerful women in various spheres of community development. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc30igJIb-x/?hl=en 
 
“We are here as riders and we know our communities. Why don’t we look at ways on how we could collaborate and create business opportunities to support the careers of these aspiring riders,” she said. 
 
“This would be more of a principle of earning while you are training. Courier companies can have a hub somewhere in a rural area. We have riders who can take whatever products are brought to the hub and take it even to the remotest client.” 
 
She also added that they also want to train the youth to become mechanics because such workshops don’t exist in rural areas.  

“We have been looking for ways to expand another business proposal and objective of building business entities in our own communities,” added the businesswoman. 
 
“When we say that we want to train mechanics, and have a cycling after-service business, it is because there is nowhere in the country where there is a bicycle retailer in the black communities. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVuY8PMstAS/?hl=en 
 
“These bicycles are generally sold in town. We have bicycles and ride them but when there is a puncture, where are the tubes and cranks? This adds an additional burden on the underprivileged that they should take the bike to town. 
 
“Look at it holistically and look at it as a solution to a whole lot of issues that restrict us from doing things for ourselves creating barriers to entry. If we do not have jobs, we will not be able to buy good bikes, or pay entry fees. We will always be seen begging since taking part in various cycling competitions costs tens of thousands.” 
 
Through NCAF, Madlala saw their cycling club participating in the Township Tourism in Gauteng where tourists were put on their bikes to tour the various heritage attractions such as the Nelson Mandela Museum, Hector Pieterson Square. 
 
Main Image: Buhle Madlala/Facebook