A total of 200 needy learners from three schools in Site C received much-needed help when the chair of the Portfolio committee on Higher Education in parliament, Tebogo Letsie donated schools on Friday 25 July.
A total of 100 pairs were donated to learners from Intlanganiso Primary School, 50 pairs for Encotsheni and another 50 for Nolungile learners.
Letsie said cold and wet weather in the province prompted him to act and change the learners’ lives for the better. He stated that it was not the first time he conducted such an initiative. “We know in Cape Town it is the rainy season now. And the majority of the learners in the townships are coming from disadvantaged families. They are struggling to buy everything at once,” he said.
Lestie said he has a soft spot for children. He described them as future leaders and tomorrow’s role models.
“It’s the first time I am donating shoes in Cape Town. I usually donate school shoes to the schools in my parliamentary constituency offices (PCO) at Dobsonville and Carletonville. The aim is to bring back their dignity, ” he said.
Letsie urged the beneficiaries to focus on their studies.
Vuyiswa Somagaca, principal at Nolungile, expressed gratitude to Letsie. She said the shoes would make a huge difference to them and their academic performance.
“We are delighted by the gesture that is shown by Letsie to the school. We don’t take it lightly. It means a lot to us. The new shoes will boost the learners’ confidence. Some of them had broken shoes not because they wanted to, but because their parents couldn’t afford to buy them,” said Somagaca.
She described the learners as the leaders of tomorrow. Somagaca urged the nongovernment organisations and local businesspeople to come on board.
