The opening of Vukuzakhe Crèche at Mourne Farm (Kwas’thwathwa) in ward 7, in the Dannhauser municipal area, is a fine example of a partnership between private business and the public sector.
Dannhauser Mayor, JP Phakathi, opened the crèche, saying that ‘no parent in the area can now say that they cannot go to work as they have to look after their children’. She emphasised that they (the community) should take care of this building and that the Municipality is committing to planting grass and trees to enable the kids to play and be safe on the grounds.
In his address, Kevern Mattison, the CEO of Zinoju Coal and General Manager of Buffalo Coal, explained the relationship between Zinoju Coal and Buffalo Coal to the community. He also thanked all members of the community and the dignitaries for making time to attend this memorable function.
“It was the stakeholders who made this dream of building a crèche a reality. The Dannhauser Municipality partly funded the project, and the Departments of Social Development and Environmental Health, also came on board,” Mr Mattison said. He was also grateful for the expertise shown by the Dannhauser Local Municipality in monitoring the project. He mentioned that this project is part of the mine’s Social and Labour Plan.
“The aim of this crèche is to give children from the community, quality education from an early age. These are the children that will be employed one day to give back to the community like, if there is a shortage of water and electricity, they will intervene and help.”
Mayor Phakathi said she was also hopeful that Zinoju Coal will invest in more crèches in other areas.
