ActionSA councillor Tumelo Shai has reached into his own pocket to purchase 40 pairs of school shoes for learners in Alexandra. Shai ensured that children at two schools, Skeen Primary and East Bank High, received brand new shoes to wear with pride.

Half of the donation went to Skeen Primary, a school close to Shai’s heart as he once walked its corridors. As a former learner at the school, he remembers the ridicule he endured as a learner because of his worn-out shoes. “I don’t want a learner to encounter the same situation,” he said, recalling how classmates mocked him and nicknamed him ‘brown shoes’.

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He recalled how he tried polishing his shoes black to hide their condition, but the pain of ridicule lingered. That memory became the driving force behind his recent donation.

He said teachers had alerted him to the pressing need, telling him stories of orphans and children arriving at school without proper footwear. Shai decided to step in and help. “I got a long list, and the least I could do is get them shoes.”

He emphasised that the deeper purpose of his donation was to restore dignity. “At least if someone is wearing a proper school uniform, they walk around with the confidence of a learner,” he said.

Principal Rammidi Setshedi of Skeen Primary welcomed the contribution, noting that many learners struggle with worn shoes. “We are very excited and pleased to have the donation of school shoes. Our learners are challenged. Many of them need this kind of support,” he said, adding that parents, too, would appreciate the relief.

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“We hope that the shoes will go a long way, especially since we are coming to the winter season, whereby learners must keep warm and all that.”

Shai emphasised that for him, the act was about more than shoes; it was about ensuring that no child felt lesser because of circumstances beyond their control.

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