Coca-Cola identifies Tembisa High School for Mandela Day initiative

The spirit of the late Nelson Mandela reached Tembisa when Coca-Cola Beverage South Africa visited Tembisa High School together with the Gauteng Department of Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi on 9 July.

The employees came out in their numbers regardless of the cold. The day kicked off with a light breakfast of fruit and yoghurt as well as registration, before heading over to a warm-up session inclusive of song and dance.

Principal Steven Ngwane said, “Tembisa Secondary School has a very impressive list of alumni, including former Limpopo premier, Advocate Ngoako Ramatlhodi, and [former] president Thabo Mbeki’s former spokesperson Bheki Khumalo, to name but a few.

“It stands as a beacon in an area of poverty of just what education can achieve. It has played a very important role in empowering the community of Tembisa.”

Public affairs and communications manager for Gauteng region at Coca-Cola, Pirtunia Dhlamini, added, “We are having what we call our employee volunteerism programme whereby all our employees get an opportunity to come and make a difference in the communities in which we do business.

“We have a plant in Olifantsfontein, which is in the heart of Tembisa. As a brand, we also have something called the key focus areas which look at where the growth of our business is coming from and how we can give back and Tembisa was one of those areas.”

Dhlamini said this is not a one-day programme because the employee volunteerism programme runs throughout the year focusing on all the areas in Gauteng – mainly on organisations and communities which are most in need of help.

Lesufi revealed that infrastructure is a huge problem in schools, and Tembisa was one of those schools which was in dire need of help not only from government but also from the private sector because there is only so much government alone can do.

“I can only hope that more and more companies will look into making a difference in our schools and lend a hand where they can because the future belongs to the children and we must therefore ensure that they receive the best education possible,” said Lesufi.

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