AS welcome as Nelson Mandela Bay’s heavy rains were in a region blighted by dry spells, they devastated the roads and parking area surrounding Yellowwoods Farm School, to the point that some days teachers and children had no option but to stay at home.
Lush farmland, where dairy cattle roam peacefully, lies at the foot of the Van Staden’s Mountain Range – a sight that greets Yellowwoods’ 216 primary-level learners to and from school each day.
Unfortunately, not even this idyllic setting could ease the burden for staff and learners this year.
Principal Nella Faas said, “It was so muddy that cars got stuck. The run-off water from the mountain was terrible; it was up to our ankles.” However, the school’s plight had not gone unnoticed.
Kwezi Jonas, project liaison officer for the South African National Roads Agency SOC Limited (SANRAL), as it continues routine road maintenance operations in the area, joined forces with ward 40 councillor, Jason Grobbelaar, to see what could be done.
After a series of discussions, SANRAL and contractor, Roadmac, decided to gravel the road leading up to the school as well as the parking lot.
They also removed vast tracts of thick bush and trees that gave the institution an unkempt appearance and prevented the children from playing safely.
Trucks moved in and out of the area, dropping off new materials and compactors with as little disruption to class time as possible, and in the space of only two weeks, the work was completed by a team of 10 labourers – seven of whom were employed from local communities.
“Before this [work], there were trees hiding the school. There are also snakes, but now at least we will be able to see the snakes coming,” said Faas.
“My spirits are high after this. The spirits of our teachers and learners are high. Learning and teaching are taking place as they should.”
Yellowwoods’ acting head of department, Nolizwi Nongqota, said the children were extremely proud of their revamped property.
They loved it that the work had made everything appear “clean”.
“They are too afraid to throw papers on the ground because they will be seen clearly now,” she said.
Nongqota urged SANRAL to keep helping those in need, especially children in the area who always required this type of assistance at their schools. As it happens, the agency and Roadmac are close to completing a similar project at nearby Rocklands Intermediate Farm School.
Jonas has been relentless in driving these projects and is determined to improve the lives of children attending farm schools. “We are also trying to source some funds to create some play areas for the kids. We want them to be able to grow in other areas as well,” he said.
Grobbelaar pointed out that schools such as Yellowwoods and Rocklands did not enjoy the same support as larger institutions. The idea was then to help these schools, often among the neediest, in whatever way they could.
“There is nothing that makes a councillor’s heart happier than seeing an industry or government department ploughing back for the benefit of the children in the ward. It means so much. Thank you to SANRAL for helping to uplift the school and address its challenges.”
Grobbelaar praised Jonas for being such an influential figure in getting the project up and running and completed in such a short time frame.
