Pretoria School for Cerebral Palsied learners give Comrades runners special send-off
“There are almost 400 children in this school, so we decided every 200m would be in the name of one of our learners,” Seloa told Rekord.
Pretoria school for cerebral palsied (CP) learners hosted a special assembly for two runners who will be participating in the Comrades Marathon.
The special send-off included a touching school choir rendition of the iconic Shosholoza, traditionally sung at the start of the Comrades.
“We bid farewell to two exceptional athletes who are embarking on a journey to raise awareness for physical disabilities,” said Janika van Heerden, spokesperson for the school.
“We as a school will show our utmost support for these runners as they embark on this fantastic journey.”
The school is a public special school for physically disabled learners specialising in CP.
It offers its learners specialised teaching, physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, to become balanced, socially integrated adults who have been empowered to become as economically independent as possible.
The runners, Theuns Pretorius and David Seloa, will carry a school banner for those who can’t run.
“We are immensely proud of David and Theuns for their efforts.
“They will be instrumental in creating awareness for the learners of Pretoria school for cerebral palsy learners.
“They prove that with determination, hard work and a passion to make a difference, anything is possible.”
OVER 300 LEARNERS WITH CEREBRAL PALSIED AND OTHER BARRIERS
Pretorius previously ran the Dawn2Dusk race last year to raise funds for the school.
Inspired by this effort, school physiotherapist Seloa decided to take up the challenge and run the 2023 Comrades Marathon.
Seloa said that as a physiotherapist he understands the struggles and hardships the learners face and so wanted to make a difference in their lives.
“There are almost 400 children in this school, so we decided every 200m would be in the name of one of our learners,” Seloa told Rekord.
The school has 391 learners ranging from 3 to 18 years of age, who have CP and other physical barriers.
Many also have additional comorbid barriers that require further specialised support, such as cognitive impairments and epilepsy.
Many are wheelchair bound or make use of other forms of assistive devices for mobility.
The school also provides an individualised learning programme based on the specific needs of learners with CP and physical disabilities with profound intellectual disabilities.
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