Reverend Henk Stavast and Derik Francis plan to visit more than 100 towns for the next 11 weeks to raise awareness about the pending court case.
“We started this initiative to raise awareness about this court case that plans to remove religion from schools. We want to raise funds for the case and mobilize the country to stand up for their beliefs and not be scared. Christianity is part of every aspect of life and it is a calling from God that we must teach our children to walk in His light,” said Henk.
The cycle tour started in Pretoria yesterday and will travel around Gauteng into North West, Northern Cape, Free State, Western and Eastern Cape then back to Pretoria before concluding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
“We cannot let religion be separated from our schools. We decided on cycling because not everyone is willing to cycle 6000 km. This was the best way to get the country’s attention,” said Henk.
The two men are cycling under the Afriforum banner and the organization has already contributed more than R1,5 million to the legal costs.
Laerskool Roodekrans principal Dean Rousseau welcomed the two cyclists into the school where they spoke to learners about their initiative.
“This is a great initiative because values and standards start with religion and are those principles are instilled in our children. We cannot allow religion to be removed from schools,” he said.
The public can donate R10 to the legal costs by sending their name by SMS to 38315. South Africans can show their support for the retention of religion in schools by signing a petition.
The tour can be followed and the petition can be signed electronically on www.hougodinskole.co.za.
The Hou God in Skole Facebook page and the website www.afriforum.co.za