Plumber who cycles to his clients

Born in the great Karoo farms in Cradock, Mr Delekile learned to ride a bicycle at a young age. As an adult, Mr Delekile moved to Cape Town, where he says he was exposed to many other transport options like buses and taxis. Yet Mr Delekile cycled onwards.

Today, Mr Delekile’s two bicycles are key to running his plumbing business and providing for his family. Although he doesn’t make much from his business, Mr Delekile does not worry about his finances. He says cycling saves him money on petrol and taxi fares when he visits his clients scattered around Cape Town.

”If you take a taxi everyday to Strandfontein, it will cost you a R32 return. But [for] me, it costs nothing; all I have to do is pump my wheels in the morning and I’m good to go, “ he said.

Besides financial savings, Mr Delekile prefers bicycles because they are easy to use, healthy, and low maintenance.

There are, however, challenges to commuting by bicycle. Because it is dangerous to ride a bicycle when it’s raining and because he is not comfortable with other transportation, some days Mr Delekile cannot work because of the weather. He has also experienced rude drivers, people who shout at him or threaten to “take him out.” But Mr Delekile keeps cool and sticks to the yellow line. He knows and follows the rules, he says, and has never clashed with traffic officers.

Of course, cycling is not all work and no play for this Khayelitsha plumber. In his free time, Mr Delekile bonds with his son through racing and repairing the bicycles. “He does not see himself using a bicycle to work though,” added Mr Delekile, laughing.