The Solomon Mahlangu High School looks notably better than what it looked like before the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and other stakeholders spent most of Wednesday, 6 April at the school cleaning, painting classrooms, planting trees and clearing rubble.
This outreach initiative forms part of the Municipality’s programme to celebrate Heroes Month, also paying homage to struggle hero Solomon Mahlangu on the day dedicated to his memory at a school that carries his name. Solomon Mahlangu was one of the most passionate Umkhonto We Sizwe combatants in his day and was wrongfully accused of murder and terrorism in 1977 and executed by hanging in 1979 by the Apartheid government.
The stakeholders involved in the outreach include Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Cllr Zanoxolo Wayile, municipal officials, ANC Youth League volunteers, the Uitenhage Despatch Development Initiative (UDDI) and learners.
The work done at the school included the painting of seven classrooms, clearing of all rubble on the school grounds, cleaning of classrooms, odd maintenance and the planting of an organic vegetable garden.
Mayor Wayile, who also got his hands dirty with painting in the classroom, said it was important to honour and give respect to the heroes of the liberation struggle. “The struggle has paved the way for learners to have better opportunities today. A nation that does not value its youth does not deserve a bright future,” said Mayor Wayile.
The bad condition that the school is in has also prompted Mayor Wayile to adopt the school into his Education Task Team programme. Mayor Wayile has committed to lobby private stakeholders to assist the school in areas of need such as the establishment of a computer room, among other needs.
School principle, Bantu Vumazonke, was grateful for the helping hand from the Municipality and hailed the outreach as a much needed exercise. Vumazonke said Mayor Wayile has broken down boundaries by coming to the school.
“The activity at the school on Solomon Mahlangu Day has shown us that the community and the municipality care about us. We have renewed hope to go on with what we are doing. Our learners are also now more interested in our namesake and the history of the school,” he said.
The sponsors of the outreach include Cashbuild in Kwadwesi, the Rainbow restaurant, the Uitenhage Despatch Development Initiative and the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
NMB Communications
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