ADVERTISEMENT:
King Toni Mphephu and others who donated cash to the fund to save their school during the event at Lwamondo Secondary School.
News - Date: 01 July 2018
King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana has urged the community of Lwamondo not to sit down and wait for handouts to save Lwamondo Secondary School from collapse.
Mphephu set the stage and urged others to follow when he donated R30 000 to boost the Save Lwamondo Secondary School fund.
This was during the school's 50th anniversary celebrations, held at the school premises at Lwamondo last Saturday.
The event was attended by, among others, the chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders of the Vhembe District, Thovhele Vele Kutama, Thovhele Calvin Nelwamondo, former principals, educators, current and many former learners of the school, some of whom are doing extremely well and making a meaningful contribution in the economy of the country and abroad.
During the event, the rich history of the school was read and a site visit of the whole school was conducted for all to see the state of the school for themselves.
A former learner and one of the organisers of the event, who is a businessman and well-known farmer, MrTshianeo Mathidi, told those gathered that as former learners of the school, they were not proud of the developments at the school. "We left this school like this many years ago. Some of the classes we used many years ago are now in a state of collapse. Our brothers and sisters are forced to risk their safety in these classrooms for the sake of education. There is no hall at this school that has more than 1 500 learners and when it rains there is no assembly and events are held in the open.”
He added that the school had no library and classes were overcrowded and “we are disappointed that schools that were started after this one are well resourced.” He said as former learners they had come up with the idea of collecting funds to save the school.
King Toni Mphephu urged all gathered to support the campaign to save the school.
After the King’s call, more than R60 000 was collected from the people attending the event. The Kagiso Trust made a major contribution when it donated R250 000 in cash to the school.
Rev Zwo Nevhutalu, a trustee of Kagiso Trust, said the organization was excited to have been part of the school's development and was giving the amount to support the school. "There are many challenges at the school, such as no furniture, but we will leave it to them to see where best the money can be utilised as we heard some of the old classes might have to be demolished," he said.
Thovhele Calvin Nelwamondo thanked King Toni, Kagiso Trust and others who are worried about the state of the school and are doing something to save the school.
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
Search for a story:
ADVERTISEMENT
The economic conditions in Zimbabwe forced Tanaka Moyo (40) to legally seek greener pastures in Musina. He opted for a unique business plan, selling the wild jujube fruit to make a living. The fruit, called masau in Shona, is better known as mazwilu in Tshivenda.
As the unemployment rate in South Africa continued to rise, a group of women from Makonde village decided to start a community-based project to create job opportunities for themselves. However, it is very difficult to continue with the project without support from the government or the private sector.
At the age of 104, William Masindi Sadiki still has many stories to tell. Some of these are about his experiences during World War II, when he was part of the North Africa campaign. He is one of the few black soldiers from that era still alive, and he proudly pins his war medals on his chest on formal occasions.
The Rivoni School for the Blind in in Njakanjaka village in the Vhembe District has 167 learners from Grade R to Grade 12. The school was started in 2016 by the Rivoni Society for the Blind, founded in June 1975 at Elim Hospital by late Swiss doctor Erwin Sutter. The society later transferred responsibility for the school to the Department of Education.
Thovhele Calvin Nelwamondo (third from left) thanks King Toni Mphephu (right) and Kagiso Trust's Rev Zwo Nevhutalu (second from left), while Thovhele Vele Kutama, who is the chairperson of the Vhembe House of Traditional leaders, looks on.
A toast for long life during the 50th anniverssary celebrations at Lwamondo Secondary School. With King Toni Mphephu are former educators, principals and former learners.
ADVERTISEMENT: