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News - Date: 14 September 2007
After the council of Rivoni Society for the Blind dismissed the managing director of the institution last year, due to alleged mismanagement of funds, they realized that there was a need to appoint a new dedicated, faithful and hardworking person.
Mr Pfumelani Horward Mashaba (37), who has been acting as managing director of Rivoni since January this year, was officially appointed as the new MD on September 1. Mashaba was second in charge as the director of the Rivoni fundraising committee.
He started his primary school education at Masungulo Primary School and went to Elim Senior Secondary School Mashaba then moved to Lemana High School where he matriculated, before he registered for a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from 1988 to 1992. He has recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Life Science degree with the University of South Africa
According to the chairperson of the Rivoni Society for the Blind council, Mr Humphrey Dingaan Shishabele, it is history at Rivoni to see that a son who was groomed by Rivoni has grown to become a leader of the very same institution. Shishabele said in an interview with Mirror that when Rivoni employed Mashaba, he was an ordinary employee. He then realized that he was an asset to the institution through his fast learning ability and dedication. "We have now appointed him as the head of Rivoni," he said.
He added that during Mashaba’s acting period as the director of Rivoni, he really assisted the institution to fundraise enough money to survive. Rivoni ran out of money due to mismanagement by the former director who ended up being expelled; as a result, donors had withdrawn, emphasized Shishabele.
Shishabele further indicated that the expectation from the council is for Mashaba to work very hard as his employment is bound to a performance contract and that he must avoid misusing of funds like the former director did.
"Mashaba must have in mind that priority number one is to look at the aspirations and need of the visually impaired. We wish him good luck as the council. He must groom other young people to be in managerial positions like the institution did to him," concluded Shishabele.
Mashaba told Mirror that his vision is that Rivoni will grow educationally as a school and poor people will gain freedom of choice in life through him. "I will also continue with the restructuring process. I have also advertised two posts, one post for the assistant director of finance and another one for the assistant director of human resources," he added. In conclusion, Mashaba said that he would continue to strengthen the relationship that was there before with the NGOs, Municipality, Government and the Media.
Peter Muthambi graduated from the University of Venda with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies. He started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror as well as national papers in 2006. He loves investigative journalism and is also a very keen photographer.
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