Mayor helps educate fallen soldiers’ children
JOBURG – As part of the City of Johannesburg's charity work, Executive Mayor Parks Tau handed over a cheque of R2 million to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Education Trust.
The funds were raised at last year’s Mayoral Charity Golf Day, and will help sponsor education for children of soldiers disabled or killed in action. The trust was initiated by Chief of the SANDF, General Solly Shoke, after South African soldiers lost their lives in the line of duty in the Central African Republic, and in a fatal helicopter crash in the Kruger National Park in 2013.
Speaking at the handover, Tau said the challenges faced by families of the fallen and severely injured soldiers was extremely difficult. “This will help the children to reap the fruits of freedom fought for by their parents,” he said.
“On behalf of the City we are ensuring that the future of these children is secured. We thank you, Shoke, for the establishment of this initiative. Now the country can take comfort that the SANDF is taking care of the future of these children.”
In accepting the donation, Shoke said the initiative was established because government was not contributing to the education of these children.
“We looked at the age of the young men who left behind young children, and we wanted to make sure that these children do not become destitute, and we decided to form the education trust,” he said.
Shoke added that the Trust was now educating 93 children. He thanked the City by saying, “What you are doing is a good cause for the country.”
The Mayoral Charity Golf Day was established in 2005 to generate funds to support community programmes and projects for vulnerable groups, and has raised more than R10 million for beneficiaries.
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