Pure joy was radiating from the faces of the learners at Fulufhelo Special School in Thohoyandou when their new playground was finally completed and officially opened on Tuesday, 14 June.
The new play area, built by the school in partnership with the South African Custodial Management (SACM), known as the Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre, houses different types of games and activities.
The official hand-over of the new facility was conducted by SACM head Director Dumisani Nzimande, together with the Limpopo Department of Education's Learners with Severe to Profound Intellectual Disability specialist Ms Nkhensani Khosa. Education officials from the province and Vhembe District, the SACM management, members of the SGB, educators and sponsors also attended the event.
In handing over the play area, Nzimande said that, although they usually dealt with offenders, they could not shy away from the needs of the rest of society. "Every year we put aside a certain amount for social investment. We go out and, through our assessment team, identify projects where we can assist. This year we chose the school as we were highly impressed by their development plan. We are very excited and thankful for the way the school worked with us until we finished the project. This is not the last time we will be here, as we have taken it upon ourselves to look after this infrastructure," he said.
Ms Khensani Khosa thanked SACM for meeting the department halfway and called on other businesses and organisations to come on board and assist the department in creating a conducive environment for learners and educators.
School principal Mr William Ramaano said the school had a development plan that included the play area for the children. "Due to financial constraints, we were unable to meet all our obligations. We went out to look for partners and, fortunately, SACM came on board. We thank SACM profusely for this good gesture and it will go a long way in providing much-needed entertainment for our learners. We still need help though, as we have many other projects that we are planning," he said.