Mgada Combined Primary School gets first 2021 Mandela School Library

A primary school near Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal has become the first school in 2021 to receive a brand-new library through the Mandela School Library Project.

This initiative benefits more than 80 000 children daily and has been doing so since 2011, converting shipping containers into libraries and donating the books to fill them.

The school principal, Mrs Z Sithole, received the library, donated by Kaefer Thermal Contracting Services, on 11 February 2021.

Mgada Combined Primary School serves the rural area of Engonyameni, near Loskop. Before the school library was set up children would have to travel 20km to reach the nearest library, so the community is very pleased to receive the gift of a school library, plus a few thousand books.

While the school had yet to start teaching, due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, a few of the teachers were on hand to help set up the library. They promised the facility would be open to all in the community.

The Soul City Institute for Social Justice’s Soul Buddyz Clubs’ reading programme will be active in the school. This will help to increase the productiveness of the new resource and will boost the teachers’ ability to ensure the 984 children, from Grade R to Grade 7, learn the joy of reading.

“Once again, we were impressed with the dedication and passion of the teachers in this

exceptionally neat and well-looked-after school that does not even have running water

unless the tanks are filled by rain,” said a Mandela School Library Project representative.

Kaefer staff were on hand to help set up the library, along with the Mandela Bangle and Mandela Library Project crews, observing all the correct Covid-19 protocols.