WATCH: Katlehong Primary School celebrates milestone with 100th library handover
The DP World and Motus Community Trust marked a major milestone with the handover of its 100th Library and Resource Centre at Katlehong Primary School on October 27, creating new opportunities for learners to develop their reading skills and confidence.
A new chapter in literacy and learning began at Katlehong Primary School recently when the DP World and Motus Community Trust officially handed over its 100th library and resource centre.
The handover marked a significant milestone in its efforts to support learners across South Africa. The opening celebrated the trust’s continued commitment to literacy, education and expanding access to learning opportunities for young people.
For the school, the new facility represented an opportunity to strengthen learners’ academic performance, reading abilities and confidence.
Gauteng MEC for Education Lebohang Maile attended the handover on behalf of the Gauteng government.
“I would like to thank DP World and the Motus Community Trust for believing in the future of our children here in the community of Katlehong and the broader City of Ekurhuleni. The government of Gauteng truly appreciates this library and resource centre,” said Maile.
A beacon of hope
Ben Mphikeleli Sidwaba, principal of Katlehong Primary School, said the opening of a new library offered hope, growth and the prospect of a brighter future for learners and their communities.
“This library will afford our learners the opportunities that they did not have in the past,” he said.
Sidwaba explained that library programmes, quizzes and competitions would help learners develop age-appropriate reading speeds, improve their composure and build the confidence to participate in activities such as reading competitions, spelling games and poetry.
He added that the school hoped the initiative would contribute to improved academic results, particularly in English First Additional Language and the three home languages offered at the school, where staff aim for a 100% pass rate across all grades and subjects.
A milestone of realisation
The trust also celebrated the handover as a milestone in its broader mission to create lasting educational opportunities.
Satie Raath, executive manager of the DP World and Motus Community Trust, said the occasion was about more than reaching the 100-library mark: “It is actually the value that it’s going to hold for future generations.” Raath said the initiative aimed to help foundation-phase learners read well and with understanding, laying a stronger foundation for their transition to secondary school.
“For us, it’s a milestone. It’s a milestone of realisation, of a dream. But we know that the dream actually should always be about the future of our children,” she said.
She encouraged learners to visit the library daily and make the most of the opportunities available to them. The handover marked the trust’s 100th library opening and its 10th library in the Katlehong, Vosloorus and Thokoza areas, according to Raath.
