Three more Mandela Day container libraries donated to Limpopo schools

There are two groups of people that experience real joy in response to the generosity of corporate sponsorship and the Mandela Bangle programme: the group that’s delivering the libraries, and the group that receives them!

Thanks to ThyssenKrupp, the Mandela Bangle programme was able to deliver three container libraries to different schools on the outskirts of Lephalale in Limpopo – Majadibodu Secondary School, Batlhalerwa High School and Mosima Primary-2.

And when ThyssenKrupp and the Mandela Bangle programme arrived at Mosima Primary-2 for their library launch, the joy, energy and gratitude of the recipients, big and small, were palpable.

The project was part of a larger CSR initiative, the ThyssenKrupp Medupii power station community development, which saw three boreholes drilled, 60 veggie tunnels built and the three libraries delivered.

Mosima Primary-2 is perfectly described in Konstantin Jireček’s quote: “We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.”

The children were enthusiastically lined up on the side of the dirt road to welcome the team on arrival, and the school was immaculately presented with freshly swept red sand pathways, newly planted flowers, clean classrooms, and a beautifully decorated marquee for the guests of honour.

The tribal queen and church elders were also at the launch, as well as TV celebrity Hlubi Mboya, who immediately started engaging with the children. Dietmar Jürges, CEO of ThyssenKrupp South Africa, was part of the formal handover with his team of 20-plus and a contingent from Eskom.

After a few heartfelt speeches, school principal Mr Abram Lerumo (a complete gentleman) demonstrated his passion for and commitment to the school when he stood up and joined in the children’s singing and dancing.

Finally it was time for the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to officially open the Mosima-2 library. The Rotary Humanitarian Centre in Bedfordview sponsored 600 books for each of the three libraries. This centre is responsible for the Literature Project that provides books to schools, churches and other educational institutions in Southern Africa.

In addition, each library was sponsored with 250 magazines from Joe’s Magz in Johannesburg, and the 200 new e-readers per school, some of which were in the local Sepedi language, were donated by the Mandela Bangle programme and sourced from Qualibooks Naledi. Over and above sponsoring the libraries, ThyssenKrupp gave each school a storage box filled with school stationery and, to the children’s delight, each Mosima 2 child received a goodie bag filled with snacks and stationery. All those present at the Mosima-2 launch, including the school staff and special guests, were treated to a wonderful spread for lunch.

After many handshakes and hugs from the children, it was time to say goodbye, knowing that three more schools in South Africa have libraries, and that as many as 1 200 children now have the possibility of a broader education.