Morné Hendricks
Prince Albert, South Africa

“I’m here from Prince Albert, but originally from Cape Town. I was about 5 when we moved here, and I’m 15 now. So it’s been 10 years now. I like it here but I’d rather live in the Cape—there are more amenities, sport activities. Here there isn’t much of that. I’ve had this bike for, say, two years. I’ve just been to the bank and to the chemist. I bought some aqueous cream for myself, for my body. I have some friends that also ride their bicycles. It’s so nice to ride down the road, there down the tar road. I ride about 2 or 3 kilometers outside of town. Sometimes we race each other, and sometimes we go jogging. I like sport, but chess is my favorite sport. I’m the best amongst my friends. It’s only me and my brother in our family that play chess, but we’re busy teaching my mom. She likes it when we’re alone at home. I bought this bike second hand, from an uncle. I paid R150 ($20 USD) for it, but it didn’t have brakes. I don’t like new bikes. This bike for me is in a good condition. I prefer this one. But I don’t ride to school—the other kids puncture my tires with scissors, or deflate them, if I do. It’s happened once, so I’d rather walk. It’s luckily very close. It happens to other kids as well, so now there are very few who ride their bicycles to school. There are over 1000 kids in my school. In my class we are 50. Next year I’m going to Cape Academy, in Cape Town. I’m going by train so I hope I can take my bike with. When I finish school I want to become a mechanical engineer, I want to go to Maties in Stellenbosch, or Potch.”

Planet Bike