Building up the bricks of hope for Dundee’s future generations
Mayor Ndlovu and Cllr Mdluli both pleaded with the community to help keep the infrastructure safe and asked them not to vandalise it, as it is for their benefit.
The opening of Vukuzenzele Crèche on Friday, funded and sponsored by Corobrik, was honoured by Corobrik factory manager Francois Aveling and some of the staff, alongside Endumeni Mayor Siyabonga Ndlovu and councillors.
Khanyisile Ntombela, who founded the crèche in Sibongile, was overwhelmed with emotion as she spoke of how she has had to fight over the years to get the project off the ground. “With many child-headed homes in our area, we see many children roaming the streets. This pained me, hence my vision of taking them in and keeping them safe. I used my garage to start a crèche,” she explained. Ntombela added that when her business grew, she registered the company and approached the municipality to use vacant land for the crèche.
“I thank everyone involved in making this dream come true for me and the community of Sibongile. There were times when tools got stolen from the premises and workers couldn’t continue with the building. This caused many delays in the project,” said Ward 2 Cllr Amina Sadeck.
She applauded the Local Economic Development Planning team that employed locals to finish off the building, and also thanked the community for looking after the infrastructure while the building progressed.
Giving some background, she said the idea to build a formal crèche dates back to 2014.
“We also thank the late Cllr Thulani Mahaye for all his hard work during his time as a councillor and mayor, in helping to get this project off the ground,” explained Sadeck. She went on to thank the Corobrik team. “It’s always important to deliver results, as this project has been a long time coming.
“With change in management (at Corobrik) over the years, there were delays in finishing the project. I know that the kids will enjoy themselves and be safe at this crèche,” concluded factory manager Francois Aveling.
In conclusion, Sadeck thanked the community for looking after the infrastructure while the building was being constructed, and also Aveling and his team.
Mayor Ndlovu and Cllr Mdluli both thanked Corobrik for funding this project.
