Girl child adopted in owner of Madiba

Premier Mabuza adopts a girl-child in honor of Madiba

By BRIAN KAJENGO

Madiba’s legacy and this year’s commemoration of the Mandela Day will forever remain in the heart and mind of a single parent and mother from Siyathuthuka Township in Belfast, whose dream to give her only child a better education has been boosted by Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza.

As the provincial government celebrated the life of the late Nelson Mandela in the township on Friday, Premier Mabuza publicly adopted a 12-year old, Buhle Kabini a Grade-7 Belfast Primary School Buhle Kabini after she impressed him with her reading skills.

Premier Mabuza could hold his excitement but to commit before a strong 1000 crowd that he would personally support a “bright” Buhle throughout her high school education until she completes matric.

Buhle will only be 13 years old mid-next month, and is being raised by a single parent, after her father passed on some years back. She amazed all the leaders of the Mpumalanga Provincial Government who had descended in the township with her confidence and the good use of English language as she read the biography of Tata Madiba. She later told the Premier that her dream was to become a pilot when she is old.

Her mother, Ms Nomsa Kabini, has welcomed the Premier’s voluntary support saying it came at a right time because she had been struggling to raise Buhle as a single parent. She says life had been difficult because she survives with her daughter on temporary jobs as a bus driver at a local mine where she transports staff to and from work.

“God is great, He has heard my prayers. I am aware that my daughter is extremely intelligent and I have been worried because there are things I am not able to do for her in order to allow her reach her horizon. My sister had promised to take her to a certain Pretoria school where she would learn with peers of her level,” said Ms Kabini.

Meanwhile Premier Mabuza said Buhle had a brighter future and subsequently urged the Belfast citizens to learn from Tata Madiba to do well. Mabuza warned the community to stop disrupting and blocking the road when they were dissatisfied with the services from the Emakhazeni Local Municipality.

“We never thought we could live one day without our father, but before he died he touched our lives one-by-one in his own special way. He did not teach us to burn down clinics and schools when we want water.

“He taught us that South Africa was for all of us, we should not segregate each other but must leave together. Today we are free, but we cannot be patient just for one day, whereas he spent 27 years in prison.

“Madiba taught us that when we have problems we should sit down and talk. Indeed we still have a long journey, we should be exemplary to our children. Children such as Buhle give us hope, they are bright and shining stars of our future,” said Mabuza.

On the day, Mabuza visited the Belfast Rusoord Old Age Home where he donated blankets to the elderly and asked the provincial department to increase the government subsidy from R40 000 to R300 000 to support the centre. He asked the Emakhazeni Local Municipality to consider subsidizing the centre with electricity.

He further visited the local clinic where he contributed his 67 minutes by painting, interacting with patients and handed over new chairs.

He further handed over 5 000 food parcels, 630 pairs of shoes and school uniforms, books, and a big cake as donated by Vodacom, Kwenta Media, Umzobanzi Coal and Energy, Stefanutti Skocks Housing, Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust, and Nkangala FET.