Boks change lives through education
As the national ambassadors of the project, the Springboks mingled with pupils of the school, which is located in Matsulu B. It has 1 450 learners and they will benefit from the new facility.
MATSULU – The South African Rugby Union (Saru) is on a quest to fight illiteracy in the country through its Boks for Books library initiative.
To the joy and excitement of Sukumani Primary School pupils on Friday, the players showed just how much they cared about this cause by handing over a library ahead of their Test match against Argentina at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.
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As the national ambassadors of the project, the Springboks mingled with pupils of the school, which is located in Matsulu B. It has 1 450 learners and they will benefit from the new facility.
The Boks for Books initiative was launched by Saru in 2013 and was born out of a desire to make a difference beyond the sports field.
Government identified education as a top national priority, and with only eight per cent of the nation’s schools having functional libraries, Saru opted to afford children the opportunity to learn how to read.
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This handover was the first in Mpumalanga, similar ones have taken place in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape since 2013.
The CEO, Jurie Roux, said literacy and education are vital to the future of South Africa and everyone is responsible to make a contribution to improve it.
Fly half Morné Steyn, said he and his colleagues owed their success to education. “Education plays a vital role in who we become in future. It is our hope to impact the lives of other South Africans in a positive way,” he said.
Steyn told the scores of pupils that through the corporate social investment initiative, the Boks hope to see some of the schoolchildren follow in their footsteps, whether it be on the rugby field or in a different line of work.
The union’s interim president, Mark Alexander, said they were carefully choosing beneficiaries and the school was fortunate to be among those that would benefit from the project.
“We strongly believe that the books will improve the level of literacy, not only in the community, but in the country as a whole,” he said.
One excited pupil, Jubiliet Mhlongo, said the library would go a long way as a harbour of knowledge for the community.
“In the past we would struggle by travelling long distances to acquire knowledge in the neighbouring villages, but now it will be easy for us,” she said.
