Alex school founder is certain of victory against Covid-19

Kgololo Academy founder Waahida Tolbert-Mbatha has reflected in a letter to parents of the children of her Alex school how the advent of Covid-19 in the past few months has changed ‘our world at a more rapid pace than we are accustomed to’.

She was alluding to the new phenomenon of social distancing, greeting by the elbow, the wearing of masks in public spaces and the introduction of e-learning in the schools, including the fall of corporations and the forced confrontation that has occurred against the systematic racism in the world that has oppressed marginalised black people and the advent of femicide here at home. These are the glimpses of the world literally being turned on its head as the news flash across our television screens.

“The end of apartheid here marked an era similar to the United States in 1965 when the Voting Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in voting. This shift has been made possible by all of us who sit on the right side of history and who stand firm in our resolve that the time for justice is always right now,” said Tolbert-Mbatha, a former US citizen married to a South African in the iconic township of Alexandra.

Tolbert-Mbatha said today and every day, she is more than proud to support the scholars of her Kgololo Academy as she and her complement of dedicated staff work to prepare them to tackle whatever obstacles the world throws their way.

“Through your support, we are guiding the next generation who will be faced with the challenges of their time. Who will, just like the generations before them, be forced to reckon with the injustices of their time and to do so with competence and boldness,” she added, quoting the Mozambican war cry of the liberation ‘Aluta Continua’, which loosely translated means the struggle continues and victory is certain.