It was an emotive scene, this morning at Nyakane Combined School when learners and educators hipped praise to the Mayor of KwaDukuza Cllr. Lindile Nhaca for providing the school’s indigent pupils with much-needed relief – school shoes.
The initiative was co-convened with Inkanyiso School Shoes, a social enterprise that believes in the collective power to help South Africa’s children go from poverty to prosperity, following the realisation that countless children in KwaDukuza default from their schooling because they cannot afford a decent pair of shoes. These children endure difficult journeys to and from school each day, often over rough terrain and through harsh weather.
At the conferral session to handover Nyakane Combined School’s 40 shoes, Mayor Nhaca said she was motivated by the initiative primarily as a parent and as a leader of the community because something as simple as a pair of shoes should not be a hurdle to a better life for children, especially in a community like KwaDukuza where many families are yet to have first-generation matriculants and tertiary students.
“I believe in a society where every child is empowered to become better than their current situation and are nurtured to be tomorrow’s leaders. While inequality, poverty, and unemployment are complex and overwhelming, making a difference can be as simple as partnering together for a common purpose – giving the gift of a pair of school shoes, as we have done today with Inkanyiso,” commented Nhaca.
Mayor Nhaca further stated that the children should be opened to cascading these shoes to their siblings if the shoes are still in a good condition but are no longer of use to the current beneficiaries.
Mrs Mthethwa, Deputy Principal at the school thanked the municipality for this initiative and was adamant that theirs, as educators, would be to work harder and to fortify all efforts to make the school a better and safe environment.
