Mariannhill school receives a mural donation
Mariannridge Primary School unveiled a new mural on a prominent wall in the school grounds in August.
SCHOOL staff, learners, members of the Church Alliance of Social Transformation (CAST), a representative from Piece Project Mosaics, and a former learner attended the ceremony.
The mural features the theme of Together we are Stronger. CAST facilitated the project, PowaFix donated the paint, Piece Project Mosaics were responsible for the mirrored mosaic, and colourful artwork was added by former learner BJ Dlamini.
According to George Mwaura from CAST, his organisation is a registered non-profit that partners with local churches for compassionate action in impoverished communities. The NGO uses ‘proven and sustainable programmes to break the cycle of poverty in Africa’.
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Peta May Salmon from Piece Project Mosaics said the mural was funded by the Department of Sports, Art and Culture. She continued to say that this project fulfilled a long-term ambition of hers and was grateful for the opportunity to undertake a creative project at Mariannridge Primary School, along with her assistant Hlengiwe Sele. May Salmon feels the school is well chosen for the mural installation.
May Salmon said, “The mural symbolises the unity, strength and resilience that Mariannridge has shown. The mural is a creative platform with potential to uplift and inspire a vision of hope. I always wanted to do something creative in this area, specifically this school. We chose a primary school as we feel the words Together we are Stronger will leave a lasting legacy for current and future generations.”
The mural utilises repurposed mirror glass and reflects the image of the viewers which allows them to see the group united together in strengths, challenges and as part of a bigger solution.
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The area co-ordinator for CAST, Ralph Williams, thanked past pupil BJ Dlamini for introducing further colour, painted figures and text around the edges of the mosaic. Dlamini remains active in his previous school and regularly teaches art to the current learners.
Principal Thembi Mngadi said that Mariannridge Primary School was established 44 years ago.
Mngadi said, “We cater for learners from Mariannridge and outside of the area. We have 2 000 learners from Grade R to Grade Seven. We are a non-fee-paying school, so we rely completely on the Department of Education for subsidy allocations. We do also undertake a lot of our own fundraising.”
The principal says the school faces many challenges.
“Our learners were alternating due to Covid, and we are still alternating in some grades due to the large numbers of learners. The staffroom is utilised as a classroom. We have learners who have been heavily impacted by Covid and the floods – some lost their parents, and some are still staying in community halls. As staff, we try, by all possible means, to do the best we can for our learners. It’s really challenging,” Mngadi said.
For information about fundraising initiatives, contact: mariannridgeprimaryschool@gmail.com or www.cast.org.za
