Joy was beaming from the faces of disadvantaged pupils from four primary schools in the Nzhelele area as they each ascended the stage to receive new school shoes from King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana. He donated more than 150 pairs to pupils at the Mphephu Royal Kraal last Friday.
The king said that children needed to be nurtured to become future responsible leaders. The presenting of uniforms marked the long journey of community development through fruitful partnerships, he added. He mentioned that he was aware of the challenges that the education system was facing "and we cannot just sit down and watch. We spend more on the education of our kids, because we know that they are the future of our country."
The principal of Dzanani/Nzhelele Primary School, Mr Khangala Denga, expressed his gratitude to the king. "As schools, we really cannot do without your earnest assistance in many regards, mainly in cases where it concerns our pupils," he said. He urged businesspeople from the area to follow in the king's footsteps and pleaded with the pupils to look after their uniforms and also to study hard. To most rural learners, a full uniform is a luxury they cannot afford, Denga said.