The two entities spent 67 minutes of the day planting a vegetable garden for the school, aimed at providing pupils with nutritious and healthy food at school.
According to Azelle Evans, public relations officer at The Mail Room, Sun International sponsored the seedlings which were planted, while inmates at Leeukop Correctional Centre would be tasked with maintaining it.
“The garden forms part of efforts to re-skill and rehabilitate inmates at Leeukop. Those trained to tend to the garden will learn a new skill that could assist them in finding productive work in future,” she said.
Also present at the memorable occasion was the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, who praised the initiative as beneficial to pupils in providing healthy, balanced meals.
“We consider this vegetable garden to be an extremely beneficial initiative because it serves to address the very real and practical nutritional needs of young children,” she said.
The minister added that the garden would ensure that children remain fed and healthy once it was up and running.
Sun International chief executive, Graeme Stephens, added that the inmates would also benefit from having the garden to look after on a day-to-day basis.
“It’s also worth noting that gardening in itself is a therapeutic activity which has the potential to enrich the daily lives of the inmates involved,” he explained.
The planting took place at Leeukop Correctional Centre on 18 July.
