CDM honours Madiba by helping Nthabiseng learners

Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), senior municipal managers and councillors of Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) visited Nthabiseng Secondary School and Nthabiseng Crèche in Morebeng village, Molemole on Friday to donate sanitary towels and plant trees on the premises.
The gesture was part of the municipality’s commemoration of the 67 minutes for Mandela initiative.
CDM personnel, joined by stakeholders and members of the local business community planted trees at the crèche and also presented groceries, educational books, toys, blankets as well as recreational, cleaning and building materials to them.
Jara Masubelele, MMC for Strategic Executive Management Services at CDM and acting Mayor on the day, said the gesture would inspire underprivileged learners at the school. “We gave sanitary towels to the underprivileged female learners at the secondary school so that they must not miss classes during their periods and enjoy learning without any hindrance. At the crèche the food parcels will come in handy because local crèches don’t get enough support and it is our primary duty to support them,” Masubelele said.
He urged the community to work with one another and better their environment. “Stop fighting each other and work well with each other in order to progress in life,” Masubelele advised.
Nthabiseng Crèche was established in 1995 and it is proud to have produced alumni who are now plying their trade at various government institutions and corporates.
Francina Raseote, an educator at the crèche said they started with only five children and now boast 106 learners. “It currently employs four permanent staff all of whom are local residents. We rely on Social Development for grants but sometimes the grant does not cover everything. We are grateful to CDM for choosing us as their beneficiary. We are more than happy and what we can promise them is that we will make good use of everything they have donated to us,” Raseote said.
Nthabiseng Secondary School principal, Shimane Makadikwa also conveyed his gratitude to CDM for reaching out to their female learners. “Most of them are from impoverished backgrounds and cannot afford sanitary towels. We want to thank CDM for their unselfish act and may they continue touching the lives of other people in their various areas of operation as well,” Makadikwa said.
Kgothatso Mawila, a Grade 8 learner at Nthabiseng Secondary School also thanked CDM for the sanitary towels. “Most of the learners don’t have sanitary towels, some do, but it is not enough to carry them till month-end. We commend CDM for thinking about girl children and the challenges they are confronted with. We can promise them that we will study hard and become better people in society.”
As part of the festivities, Masubelele and the entourage presented learners at Nthabiseng Crèche with a cake bearing Mandela’s face, read them some inspiring quotes from Mandela’s books and also played games with them. “Mandela loved children and we wanted to continue with that legacy. It was a special day for the children and we wanted them to enjoy it. We played outdoor games with them and also had lunch with them,” Masubelele stated.

Story and photos: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert.observer@gmail.com