Sasol invests in Mpumalanga artisans
Sasol Inzalo Foundation will benefit the public.
SECUNDA – The training of artisans to address South Africa’s acute shortage of these critical skills, has been identified as integral to South Africa’s economic prosperity.
Sasol Inzalo Foundation, which is the public benefit organisation established to drive excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education at all levels of the education value chain, will hand over laptops, learning and teaching material as well as protective clothes to the Mpumalanga Department of Education on Thursday, 15 October.
Sasol Inzalo Foundation was established as part of South Africa’s single biggest black economic empowerment (BEE) transaction in 2008 to drive excellence in Stem education at all levels of the education value chain.
The learning and training material will benefit more than 2 000 artisans-in-training at identified technical schools in the province.
The contribution is part of Sasol’s support of the Decade of the Artisan Campaign that aims at promoting artisanship as a career of choice for young people as well as further professionalise existing artisans through skill improvement training.
Sasol is a major supporter and advocate of this campaign.
South Africa needs to produce at least 30 000 artisans a year by 2030, more than double the current output of 13 000, to stimulate economic growth and enable the country to remain competitive.
Receiving the donation will be Reginah Mhaule, MEC for Education in Mpumalanga.
The handover will take place at a ceremony organised at Hazyview Comprehensive School in Parys, which will also be attended by mayors of Ehlanzeni Local Municipality and Bushbuckridge Municipality, senior Sasol executives and members of the community.
According to Dr Yvonne Muthien, the chairman of the Sasol Inzalo Foundation Board of Trustees, pupils who are part of the Sasol Inzalo Foundation-sponsored Technical Schools of Excellence Network (TechSENet) will receive 625 sets of personal protective equipment (PPE) for use in practical training workshops.
The protective clothes will benefit some 5 000 pupils every year from now on.
“We are also handing over laptops for teachers and learning material on Stem education which pupils will use.”
Sasol’s vice president for Enterprise and Supplier Development, Mr Justice Magagula, said building technical skills is one of the key priorities of Government.
“As a partner to government and a supporter of the National Development Plan, Sasol is committed to playing its part to invest in South Africa.
“We believe this is important as technical skills education equips the youth with life skills to begin their own businesses and be able to provide employment to others,” he said.
Sasol Inzalo Foundation has handed over teaching and learning material and personal protective equipment to other technical schools in the Free State and Gauteng, which are members of the TechSENet.
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