Inside the new container library
At 9am on 5 August, 1 460 children from the Thebe Public School waited in anticipation for the arrival of guests and dignitaries for the opening of their new Long Walk to Freedom Mandela International Day container library.
The Mamafubedu township was abuzz and school elders, African National Congress representatives, authorities from the school and Soul Buddies representatives were entertained by the school’s choir and drum majorette squad.
The library installation was part of the Old Mutual Joberg2c mountain bike race organisers’ initiative to give back to the community. This is the eighth library delivered in partnership with the race organisers and Mandela Bangle’s independent sponsors.
Representatives of Old Mutual Joberg2c, Avis, Hollard, Fussell & Associates and Momentum Consult were very pleased to see how their generous donations were actually being put to use.
The library is handed over
Thebe Public School principal Rebecca Mokoena, the programme director, conducted the proceedings with aplomb, and Robert Coutts captured the children’s attention when he delivered quotes and memorable messages by Nelson Mandela, inspiring the preteens to learn and educate themselves.
The library was stocked with 250 magazines from Joe and Pam Klug’s Magz in Johannesburg and 560 new books (some of which are written in the local Sesotho) donated by the Mandela Bangle programme, and sourced from Qualibooks Naledi.