Limpopo mayor donates shoes to pupils in need
Mayor Eddie Maila has encouraged community members to donate school shoes for pupils in need.
The Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality’s (FTLM) mayor, Eddie Maila, donated more than 70 pairs of school shoes to local pupils.
On March 27, Maila visited Shai Primary School in Modubeng, Ward 9, and the next day he was at Penge Primary School in Ward 16, to hand over the school shoes to the learners.
Since the beginning of the year, Maila has donated shoes to more than 300 pupils in the municipality.
At Penge, Maila was accompanied by Teen Miss Africa SA, Katlego Nkwana, as well as the FTLM’s Exco. He applauded Nkwana who also donated a pair of shoes.
These donations are part of the campaign driven by the Office of the Mayor to assist learners with school uniforms. This came after it received many requests for school clothes.
Maila indicated that the municipality’s vision is to see children attending school for self-development and the general improvement of the socio-economic status of Fetakgomo Tubatse.
“A nation with an educated population is able to bring innovation that creates many opportunities for economic growth. The second aspect is to bring dignity and confidence to learners who are unable to attend school frequently due to a lack of uniforms and other basic amenities.”
He said the municipality started this initiative three years ago as a means to enhance the pupils academic experience and foster a relationship with the education sector.
Maila stressed that the FTLM’s objective is to see general improvement in the matric results and for that to be achieved, early childhood development must be prioritised. As the foundation laid in primary school leads to greater achievement in secondary education.
Handing over the shoes, Maila thanked one of the Good Samaritans who attended his wedding on March 23.
“One of the guests at my wedding handed my family a gift of R20 000, I spent all the money to purchase more than 200 pairs of shoes.”
This initiative is expected to continue at other schools in the municipality after the holidays. “We call upon councillors, FTLM employees, ward members, and the community to join this campaign. No child in this municipality should bear the harsh weather conditions by going to school without shoes,” he said.
Maila thanked the educators at the schools for identifying the learners who come to school without proper uniforms. “This gesture by educators must be applauded as it brings an element of uniformity in school boosting the confidence of the learners.”
