After the horrific passing of Michael Komape, President Cyril Ramaphosa implored government departments, the private sector and civil society to tackle the issue of safe sanitation in schools through a collaborative partnership called SAFE (Sanitation Appropriate for Education). The programme was established to save the lives and protect the constitutional right to dignity and safety of children in schools by eradicating pit-latrines with plumbed sanitation facilities so that no child suffers the indignity and fatality suffered by Michael Komape.
“We are gathered here today to seek collective action to give all the children of this country what most of us take for granted. We are here to ask you to be part of a bold social initiative to ensure that every school in the country has safe and appropriate sanitation facilities,” implored president Ramaphosa on in August 2018 at a stakeholder engagement in Tshwane.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, Engen Oil, the office of the presidency as well as the Department of Basic Education were some of the organisations that partnered together to answer the call to ensure safe sanitation in schools over long-term collaborative projects.
One of the first actions in fulfilment of the partnership is the building of SAFE sanitation in three schools in North West, Eastern Cape and KZN, beginning with Madima Primary school in the North West Province.
Event details:
Date: 6 February 2020
Time: 10h00 to 11h30
Venue: Madima Primary school (1472 Rampipi Sector, Saulspoort Rampipi Section Modderkuil, North-West, South Africa).
The handover event will be attended by members of the office of the presidency, the Department of Basic Education as well as the Chief Executive Officers of the Nelson Mandela Foundation and Engen Oil.
Please RSVP your attendance with Noluthando Mdayi at NoluthandoM@NelsonMandela.
For media enquiries, please contact KneoM@NelsonMandela.org