Gqeberha cycling activist Mnkudla Matabeni has transformed a simple mountain bicycle into a powerful tool for social change.<\/p>\n
He has completed multiple long-distance rides across SA to inspire unemployed youth and homeless people to transform their circumstances and work towards a better future. <\/p>\n
Matabeni, who hails from Motherwell, said the idea for his Cycling For Change campaign was inspired by his own past struggles and a mindset he once held about poverty. <\/p>\n
\u201cI used to think I was poor because I didn\u2019t have what other people have and that I must have those things to be happy and free in life. <\/p>\n
\u201cI realised that belief is a myth. It means that with whatever you have, if you want to do something, you can do it. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt can happen if you make it happen, or it won\u2019t, if you don\u2019t,\u201d Matabeni said. <\/p>\n
He recently returned to Gqeberha after completing a gruelling journey from Gqeberha to Durban, then to Johannesburg, then to Cape Town, and back to Gqeberha. <\/p>\n
The journey, which he undertook without sponsors, support vehicles, or guaranteed accommodation, relied entirely on his resilience, the kindness of strangers and the strength of his message. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was aware from the start of the journey that I\u2019m going to meet obstacles on the way, but I\u2019ll have to face them.\u201d <\/p>\n
He faced countless challenges that tested him physically and mentally. <\/p>\n
One of the most harrowing moments occurred in the Eastern Cape near Kyalakha, when his bicycle broke after a fall during heavy rain. <\/p>\n
With his bike damaged and loaded with luggage, he was forced to push it for hours in harsh conditions. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was about 50km from Mthatha, walking and pushing the bike with the big luggage on it, and it was raining so hard. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was so wet that when I got to Mthatha, I couldn\u2019t even speak. My body was just vibrating whenever I tried to talk,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Despite these setbacks, Matabeni said the journey strengthened his belief that people were capable of far more than they allowed themselves to imagine. <\/p>\n
In 2026, Matabeni hopes to work with sponsors to grow the Cycle for Change initiative.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a thought of maybe getting some sponsors from big companies … and wearing brands that brand owners can be confident and proud to support. <\/p>\n
\u201cI am going out there telling everyone they don\u2019t need anything to continue growing in life, to take another step forward and improve their lives. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey only need their awareness, which is their mind, themselves, and what they have,\u201d Matabeni said. <\/p>\n
The Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gqeberha cycling activist Mnkudla Matabeni has transformed a simple mountain bicycle into a powerful tool for social change.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":416375,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,219687,784,219688,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-416374","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-cycle-for-change","11":"tag-cycling","12":"tag-motherwell-cyclist","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}