Army hands over newly-rebuilt primary school in Weenen

The South African Army officially handed over the newly-rebuilt Ferdinand Primary School in Weenen recently.

The handover was led by Lieutenant General Khulekani Mbatha, who is the current chief of the army.

In his keynote address, Mbatha acknowledged the great work done at the school by the soldiers. He said that, as
part of their 2023 Calendar Year Social Responsibility Project, the army had a deep desire to do something that would reaffirm the dignity of learners, educators and the Weenen community at large. They did this by giving Ferdinand Primary School a facelift; ‘something we firmly believe will crucially enable a smooth learning process at the school’.

“After learning about the school’s plight and acute despair, as the apex leadership of the South African Landward Force, we have gone to great lengths to change the conditions at the school, as they were appalling and inhabitable. This had become something of a thorn in the side of the learners and the entire community of
Weenen,” said Mbatha. “I am very proud to say that I was also raised and attended the very same school. My father brought us here when we were still young, as he was not pleased with us not being able to speak our language properly, which is IsiZulu,” quipped Mbatha.

He encouraged the learners not to limit themselves and think they will not make it in life because of the environment they come from. “I know this is a small, poor town, but that should not be the yardstick
for your success. We want you to learn and come back to create jobs in this area, unlike before when everyone wanted to leave to Johannesburg for greener pastures,” urged Mbatha.

He praised the determination and resilience of the teachers at this school; for keeping on doing their duty without letting the adverse conditions deter them. “It is an indisputable fact that as the seconds lengthened into minutes, the minutes lengthened into hours, the hours into days, the days into months, and the months into years without any assistance, your hope as educators and learners was vanishing; something that could leave you teetering on the edge.”

He concluded by thanking all the stakeholders that made this project a success. “We are so genuinely appreciative of everything that has been done and there is no length we would not go to show our gratitude. To all the members from the business sector and individuals from the South African Army who have enthusiastically agreed to contribute tremendously towards this noble initiative, we are filled with an overpowering respect to you for having partnered with us in this charitable cause,” concluded Mbatha.

This particular school caters for Grade R to Grade 7 and has a total of 764 learners. The renovations included a newly-built and fully equipped computer lab and library.

The principal, Ms Nelisiswe Kunene, said she was at a loss for words to describe the way she was feeling. “I am very happy to see the vision that we had for this school coming to life. No one would have expected that it would come with the help of the army, but here we are today. I am happy for the learners and also for the community at
large,” said Kunene.

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One of the parents, Sibongile Mbatha, said they are very grateful as the community. She appealed to her fellow community members to take good care of the school going forward.

The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Ladysmith Gazette, a sold newspaper distributed in the Ladysmith area.

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