Shoes for schools
A CAMPAIGN, which was the brainchild of Durban’s Transnet Engineering’s Siyanda Ntenga, saw 91 children-in-need receive school shoes on Monday, 7 October.
Siyanda started his career in 2006 as a student through the Transnet student bursary scheme and went on to become a turner machinist in the company. The 27-year-old grew up in a rural township and remembers having to walk long distances to school with no shoes. The hardships he overcome to make a success of himself inspired him to start a ‘Donate a Toughees’ campaign in his spare time, through which he bought and donated 55 pairs of shoes to disadvantaged pupils.
When he approached Transnet Engineering to come on-board with his project, the management and staff agreed wholeheartedly, with CEO, Richard Vallihu donating 15 pairs of shoes personally. Futura Footwear based in Pinetown started working with the company, offering shoes to Transnet at a discounted rate.
On 7 October, the team handed over 30 pairs of shoes to pupils at Kwa-zibonele Primary School in Eshowe and 61 pairs to pupils at Tayside Primary school in Dundee. Communications officer, Amanda Khumalo said: “It was such a humble and rewarding experience to see the 91 pupils benefit from the project. The smile on their faces was priceless.”
Other schools have been identified to benefit from the project through the Department of Education, with beneficiaries coming from families who live below the poverty line. “Transnet is delighted to take up the example of an exemplary employee like Siyanda in this time of limited resources and almost hopeless economics, where general consensus is to take care of oneself.”
– erinh@dbn.caxton.co.za
