Joburg employees hand out uniform and shoes for Mandela Month

31 July 2017

 

Employees of the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA), the City of Johannesburg’s roads infrastructure provision and maintenance entity, on Friday July 28 brought smiles on the faces of 50 needy learners at Muzomuhle Primary School in Diepsloot in Region A, northern Johannesburg, when they delivered several boxes full of school shoes and uniforms as the citywide Mandela Month celebrations were beginning to draw to a close.

 

Mandela’s birthday – July 18 – was declared International Nelson Mandela Day by the United Nations in recognition of the 67 years the late president spent fighting for freedom, justice and equality. Mandela, who died on 5 December 2013, would have turned 99 this year.

The City of Johannesburg held a number of events to celebrate the day by giving to the less fortunate.

At the forefront of the Diepsloot initiative on Friday was JRA employee Bahle Mazibuko, a former learner at the school who convinced her colleagues that Muzomuhle – which caters for more than 2 000 learners, many of whom come from disadvantaged families – needed their generosity the most.

“As a former learner at this school, I know very well the challenges faced by these children. I know the pain of having to come to school with torn shoes or uniform. So, when we discussed the Mandela Month event at the office, I was able to convince my colleagues to help me plough back to my former school.

“I’m so happy they agreed to dig deeper into their pockets and buy shoes, shirts, trousers and other items for these children,” said Mazibuko.

The school’s deputy principal, Moloto Mantopi, said he was extremely delighted by the gesture. He said the poverty afflicting the community was reflected in the poor learners.

“Many of our learners do not have shoes or a proper uniform. It’s encouraging to receive such a donation. It’s even more encouraging to hear that ordinary City of Johannesburg employees used their personal resources to come to our children’s aid. We are grateful to all of them,” said Mantopi.

JRA Transport Safety and Promotions Deputy Director Mbongiseni Masuku said Mandela Month required of all individuals to make life better for those in need.

“God has blessed some of us as we are employed and earn a salary. This is the least we can do to bring joy and smiles to the learners who are in need. We are grateful to Bahle for this initiative and hope we can do the same for other schools in the future,” said Masuku.