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‘You can’t make a difference if you’re not brave enough’ — Cape Town cyclists strip for climate awareness

‘You can’t make a difference if you’re not brave enough’ — Cape Town cyclists strip for climate awareness
Cyclists ride down Bree Street in Cape Town on the 2025 World Naked Bike Ride on 8 March 2025. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)
Julia Evans
By Julia Evans
9 Mar 2025
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Capetonians bared it all (or almost all) on Saturday, 8 March, for the annual World Naked Bike Ride, pedalling for a planet powered by more than just fossil fuels.

If you were in Sea Point on Saturday morning, 8 March, you might have caught a glimpse of a group of cyclists shedding their fear and clothing in support of the World Naked Bike Ride in Cape Town, a global movement spanning more than 74 cities, advocating for a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The World Naked Bike Ride started in 2001 in Spain to protest against oil dependency and promote cycling as a sustainable transportation mode – and now spans more than 70 cities, including Cape Town.

It advocates for body positivity, environmental awareness and the rights of vulnerable road users.

world naked bike ride Cyclists ride down Bree Street in Cape Town on the 2025 World Naked Bike Ride on 8 March 2025. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach)



Participants met at Colin Eglin Library in Sea Point on Saturday morning. The event wound its way through the city to promote social and environmental issues, grabbing attention and sparking conversations as they went by. This year’s ride focused on being body positive, people positive, and planet positive, promoting inclusivity, sustainability and self-acceptance.

Cape Town has been hosting this eye-catching event since 2008, thanks to the tireless efforts of Juanita Pretorius, the ride’s main organiser and “troublemaker” as she jokingly refers to herself.

For years, city officials seemingly turned a blind eye to the event. As Marthinus Pretorius, another of the event’s organisers, explains, “The bylaws say you can’t appear nude in public without the city’s permission, but for 12 years they did not stop us. By staying silent, they basically gave us permission.”

Extra conditions


However, this year, the City of Cape Town and the South African Police Service imposed additional conditions on their agreement for a public gathering, citing sections 9 and 22 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2007. These sections prohibit exposing private parts in public, particularly in the presence of minors. The city also referred to its 2007 by-law on streets, parks, and public places, that states nudity is permitted only in designated areas.

Before the event, the organisers told participants, “they want to see more nipple caps, willy warmers and body paint.”

While some participants adhered to these guidelines, most took a more rebellious approach, choosing to ride nude, with some onlookers stripping off and joining the ride along the route.

Marthinus Pretorius explained that from the outset, the city said no one would be arrested for public nudity or indecency; instead, the organisers would be held accountable.

The organisers felt the city was being procedurally unfair, with Pretorius saying they are “using (their interpretation) of the law to curb our freedom of expression”.

“We strongly believe there’s a difference between public nudity and public indecency,” said Pretorious. “It’s not the fact that someone is naked that makes them indecent, it’s when you go to offend someone or target someone.” Protesters maintain they aren’t trying to bother anyone, but see this act as a form of freedom of expression and advocacy. 

Pretorius said there should be an Occurrence Book (OB) entry of the participants going nude – which is an official record kept at a police station where all significant events, incidents and activities are documented.

As of yet, there have been no further developments. As Pretorius says, “If they decide to go that route, we’ll go to court.”

‘Brave enough’


Speaking about her participation for more than a decade, Juanita Pretorius told Daily Maverick, “You can’t make a difference if you’re not brave enough.

“I tell people, ‘You are enough as you are.’”

While promoting the event in the lead-up, Pretorious said, “you are created perfect and unique, don’t change to become a copy”.

When asked about the reason for her climate advocacy, Pretorius said, “I’m a mother as well,” recalling that the first time she participated in the event in 2009 she was a week away from giving birth – her husband painted an earth on her belly.

“I want to do this for my children, and generations that actually are still come,” she said. “I want to make a difference. We can’t just harm everything. 

She said she wanted to “to leave something behind – my legacy – so my children know I did something to benefit them when I’m no longer here.”

She recalls that the first time she organised the event “was very nerve-wracking” and there were nowhere near as many people as there are today.

“We were like four people, but yes, we did it.” This past weekend there were about 90 participants, but at its height, before Covid-19, they had as many as 300 participants.

The dress code is to “dress as you dare to attract attention to the cause”, encouraging participants to decorate themselves and their bikes with eye-catching messages promoting environmental protection and positive body image. 

“It is your chance to become the entertainer and draw attention to your cause as part of a protest to celebrate feeling positive about your body, your planet and its people,” said the organisers.

Pretorius also emphasised the importance of living in harmony with the earth, advocating for a return to natural living, like connecting your bare feet to the earth and letting the sun shine on your skin. DM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REeWvTRUpMk

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