Johannesburg - The winter cold did little to deter the excitement of a group of Soweto pupils who this week, received brand new pairs of school shoes.
The handover of the 67 pairs of school shoes, which was belatedly part of Mandela Month commemorations, was part of a community outreach programme by The Saturday Star, Spitz and Independent Media.
During the handover at Mangwele Primary in Diepkloof, the school’s principal Allen Magau told The Saturday Star that the donation would have a long-lasting and positive impact on the youngsters.
“As a school, we are blessed,” he said.
The school caters to youngsters from all walks of life and for several areas in Soweto and Magau said many came from poor backgrounds.
“Many of our learners face lots of challenges,” he said.
“Sometimes they come to school with torn and broken shoes and I take them myself to the cobbler to repair them, using my own money so this school shoe donation will help the school and the community a lot.”
Magau added that having shoes to wear to school would improve the pupils’ education experience.
“This contribution is helpful and will encourage learners to come to school and perform well in class because it’s all about the learners’ performance.
“Our vision at the school is to use education to break the cycle of poverty which imprisons our people and this will help us to do that.”
Magau added that he also had a good team of teachers around him and that the pupils were eager to learn and school attendance in general was good.
“Our pupils want to learn, this is their home and we work to make them feel wanted.”
He added that he was grateful to have overseen the school shoe donation before he retired in December.
This is after a total of 38 years as an educator, 15 years at Mangwele Primary and 20 years at the nearby Diepdale Secondary School in Diepkloof.
“Education is definitely my calling and I am feeling bitter-sweet about my retirement because I will miss the school and its pupils.”
The Saturday Star’s marketing officer Paul Hopane, who oversaw the school shoe handover, said the donation was originally meant to take place in July during Mandela month, but unforeseen circumstances caused the delay.
Regardless, he said he was thrilled to be part of the community outreach initiative.
“Every day should be Nelson Mandela Day and it was great to bring happiness and joy to these youngsters.”
Hopane also thanked the sponsors, fashion retailer Spitz, for the Green Cross-branded school shoes handed over.
“This wouldn’t have been possible without Spitz and we are so grateful for them.”
He added that the intention of the handover was to make a difference in the lives of those who needed it the most.
“We want to remind communities that we exist and we want to bring change to those who are underprivileged,” he said.
“We also wanted to focus on a primary school because of the youngsters there who don’t always understand the circumstances of the challenges their parents or guardians face and as The Saturday Star, we are happy to have made a difference.”’