Mary Matthew memorial hall’s grand opening
Magabe said, “It’s fantastic that this hall has been built in our area. I know that neighbouring schools will really appreciate having this facility close to them and I congratulate everyone involved in this.”
BURGERSFORT – The days of hosting educational meetings under trees are a thing of the past as St Thomas College officially opened its gigantic Mary Matthew memorial hall on November 15.
The grand opening ceremony was attended by dignitaries from all corners of Tubatse as well as abroad. Also present were the parents, learners, officials from the department of education that included circuit and district managers, local entrepreneurs and members from SAPS.
The hall was officially opened by Sekhukhune District Municipality’s executive mayor Cllr David Mogobo Magabe and has a seating capacity of more than 1 500 people.
Before the opening, learners entertained the crowd with extra mural activities like the Indian gumboot dance, traditional dance and much more.
Magabe said, “It’s fantastic that this hall has been built in our area. I know that neighbouring schools will really appreciate having this facility close to them and I congratulate everyone involved in this.”
The executive mayor told attendees that the district municipality was ready to fund the best learners in the region.
“The African National Congress has outlined education as its major priority; let’s invest in education as it is the key to unlock the doors of success. I can assure everyone that the district will avail resources to the learners who excel in their matric exams.”
Magabe applauded the chairman of the board of directors at St Thomas, Mr Kevin Matthew for the stunning building. He also praised the school for their excellent matric pass rate in previous years. The school was second among the independent schools in the Limpopo province in 2013.
In his speech Matthew thanked local business that assisted in erecting the hall. “We couldn’t have done it without Burgersfort Toyota, the builders and all businesses that contributed in making our dream successful. We want to improve education in this area for the better, the hall will help with educational meetings and planning,” he said.
“Our school was opened in 2000, but today we have our own laboratory, a library and now the hall. We will once again work with the neighbouring schools in improving the mathematics pass rate in Tubatse,” he vowed.
Matthew thanked the principal of the college, Mr Samuel George for leading the school in the right direction. He also thanked everyone that graced the event.
The hall was named after the late Mary Mathew who was the wife of Kevin Mathew. She passed away early this year.
