Dr Marietjie Lutz: Stellenbosch chemistry lecturer to cycle 600km to raise funds for struggling students

This was during last year's WOOP 24 campaign in Franschhoek pass. My eldest son, Ben, is in the middle. I am on the left and a friend, Dezire Kriel on the right. (Photo: Supplied)

By Siyabonga Goni

28 Mar 2025

Dr. Marietjie Lutz, a passionate Stellenbosch University chemistry lecturer, is embarking on a 600km cycling journey from George to Stellenbosch to raise funds to support chemistry students in need.

Dr Marietjie Lutz, a chemistry lecturer at Stellenbosch University, is channeling her love for cycling into a cause, as she aims to cycle 600km for a second year from George to Stellenbosch. The goal of her journey is to raise funds for dedicated chemistry students facing financial challenges.

Dr Lutz’s dedication to supporting students through her 600km cycling journey stems from a powerful encounter she had in 2022 with a first-year BSc Chemistry and Polymer Science student facing the threat of homelessness and food insecurity. This experience inspired her to take action and help make a difference in the lives of students in need.

As a former matie herself, Lutz started her academic career at Stellenbosch University, studying BSc (Chemistry and Mathematics) and completing her degree in 1996. She then had a passion to do an education diploma in 1997, and went on to teach maths for three years at a high school. After fulfilling that role, she still continued with her academics, completing her BSc Hons (Polymer Science) in 1999, MSc (Polymer Science) in 2001, and finally her PhD (Polymer Science) in 2005.

Dr Lutz with her 2024 first-year chemistry students at Stellenbosch University. (Photo: Supplied)

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Lutz said: “As a student at Stellenbosch University, it was my dream to become an academic. I am lecturing in the same hall that I used to be in as a student. It is such a privilege to stand in front of students because I am living my dream… In my heart I am a teacher, someone who gets their energy working with youth. I believe that if you have a dream, give it your all, and with the right support it’s possible,” said Lutz.

Cycling for struggling students

This year, Lutz is running her campaign called “Wheels of Opportunity (WOOP25)”, which aims to raise R100,000 for talented but underprivileged science students. Explaining how this campaign started, she says she came across a student who was struggling and was on the brink of homelessness.

“I bumped into a first year student at that stage, and they were writing their first formal assessment on campus in chemistry. I interacted with this student, who had a French accent. At a later stage, he then came to my office and said he had nowhere else to go, and mentioned that he had some challenges. The student was without food… and he was on the brink of being without any accommodation as well, because he wasn’t able to pay his rent. He was a DRC citizen, but was born in South Africa, so he couldn’t apply for a normal bursary that South African students could apply for,” said Lutz.

Inspired by her encounter, Lutz came up with the idea to combine her passion for cycling with a campaign to raise funds for students facing challenges. Recognising that some students don’t have the support of their parents, which makes their journey even harder, she decided to take action.

Last year, she launched her first campaign, aiming to raise R60,000 for struggling chemistry students by cycling 600km from George to Stellenbosch with her husband and her children. Through her determination and effort, Lutz not only met her goal but surpassed it, raising more than R70,000 to support students in need.

This photograph was taken during last year's Wheels of Opportunity campaign on Franschhoek pass. Dr Lutz's eldest son, Ben, is in the middle, she is on the left and a friend, Dezire Kriel, is on the right. (Photo: Supplied)

The money raised in last year’s campaign helped the student who was struggling and was on a brink of homelessness.

“He is getting his degree at the end of the year; it will be such a wonderful story because everything went full circle from the start of his first year until the end of his undergraduate studies. He actually got a bursary, so even his student fees are being covered at this stage. This evidence of what is possible,” said Lutz.

This year the aim is to raise R100,000 for underprivileged chemistry students.

“My hope and dream is that this movement grows. I believe that you can’t sit still and watch how students have to leave the university due to lack of funding if they are really hard-working and promising students,” said Lutz.

This year’s Wheels of Opportunity campaign is set to start this weekend, and Lutz says she will be joined by her family and four new people who have decided to join the initiative. DM

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Cycling for struggling students