Premier Mabuza adopts more children to benefit from DD Mabuza Foundation

Premier Mabuza adopts more children to benefit from DD Mabuza Foundation

Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has adopted three more children, which are going to benefit from his DD Mabuza Foundation financially.

Visiting three schools from his home village of Phola near Hazyview yesterday [Thursday, 11 September 2014] to hand over school uniforms, laptops and netball and soccer kits, Premier Mabuza further publicly adopted three more learners which he committed to support financially until they complete matriculation or their tertiary qualifications.

His first stop was at Bambanani Primary School where he was impressed by a Grade 8, 14 year-old learner, Glenrose Sambo, who sang praises on behalf of the school in appreciation for the support the Premier brought to the learners and the teachers.

The Premier committed to support her financially until she finished her Grade 12. He committed to pay for her school fees, buy her school uniform and buy her a personal laptop to assist her with her schoolwork. He further warned her that she should take care of herself and should fall pregnant and drop out of school as she had a brighter future.

His second stop was at Phola Secondary School, where he gave the learners a tongue-lashing of their time for recently physically attacking their teachers, thereby disrupting their learning.

Nevertheless, the Premier was impressed by a Grade 12 learner Wisdom Mathebula who is said to have encouraged fellow learners, to remain behind after school, and have extra special catch-up classes to prepare for the examinations, after their normal learning was disrupted after they attacked their teachers.

Mabuza referred to him as a future leader for displaying the leadership skills in assisting other Grade 12 learners. The Premier offered him a bursary to study anywhere next year when he completes his matriculation.

His last stop was at Mdzimba Primary School where he adopted another 14 year old, a Grade 8 Ntombi Sibeko who also impressed him with her traditional dancing and praise singing of Mabuza as a leader who was selfless, and who did forget his people. He committed to support her until she completed her matriculation.

The Premier donated 600 school uniforms, 70 laptops and soccer and netball kits to all three schools through his DD Mabuza Foundation in honour of his commitment to help the schools, a promise he made during his birthday celebration late in August.

“We are trying in our small way to motivate the learners and teachers. Remember, starting from Grade 1 until you complete matric is indeed a long journey, both the learners and the teachers get tired along the way and get demoralised and end up not continuing with the journey.

“We are therefore motivating them so that they will continue with this long journey. It is unfortunate that some of these resources are not available in our schools in the rural areas. We are lacking behind in terms of these skills, which are crucial especially at tertiary level.

“It is in our hands to support them wherever we could, because one day they will be the best and we will all be proud of them. Some of us we are what we are today, because we have all gone through the hands of the teachers. These children will one day help their families move away from poverty,” said Mabuza.

The Premier further warned his fellow villagers not to “misrepresent” him in the public by destroying property when they were dissatisfied with poor service delivery by the government. He said his community needed to lead by an example.

He urged them to have constant meetings with their councilors instead of destroying schools, clinics and other public centres.

“When you destroy property because you are angry, people out there would simply say ‘its people who come from where the Premier comes from’ who are leading in these violent protests. Therefore, let us lead by an example and show the rest of the people that we can simply solve our problems by talking with our leadership,” said Mabuza.

It was not the first time the Premier adopted learners, he has supported more than 300 people to get better education.