Sasol, in partnership with AECI continued with their annual winter warm initiative by donating over 1200 brand new school shoes to vulnerable children in Sasol’s fenceline communities of Sasolburg and Ekandustria. A total of 42 schools from the Metsimaholo Local Municipality attended the handover event held at Harry Gwala Multi-purpose Centre in Zamdela on Friday 20 May 2022.
As part of the Sasolburg Operations leg of the initiative, Sasol is joined by AECI who matched Sasol’s school shoes donation. “We are ecstatic that AECI has come on board and joined in on our mission to ensure that more vulnerable children will attend school this winter. The stakeholders we partner with are as committed to contributing positively in the lives of people in our fenceline communities, and we will always be grateful for that,” said Thuli Mbuli, the Head of Community Affairs for Sasolburg and Ekandustria Operations at Sasol.
Over the past seven years, Sasol has supported over 2000 children from poverty-stricken households.
“Our long-standing winter warm initiative was borne out of necessity and our need to care for those who desperately need our intervention. As Sasol, we care about our people and we believe it would be inhumane to turn a blind eye to the suffering of children, especially when it comes to their health and education. By making this small contribution, we ensure hundreds of vulnerable children do not miss school because they do not have shoes,” said Mbuli.
While attending the handover event in Zamdela, Fezile Dabi District Director from the Free State Department of Education, Dr Vusi Chuta expressed his gratitude to Sasol for the interventions they are making in the community. “We are always excited to see initiatives like these come to fruition. Nothing is more important to us than giving all children equal access to education; and we are grateful to Sasol and their partners for working with the Department of Education in building a South Africa filled with promising future,” said Dr Chuta.
Sasol is proud to support the vulnerable leaners in their fenceline communities. “Our interventions in education are driven by a need to see a meaningful change in our youth and prepare them for a future which will enable them to be economically sustainable,” concluded Mbuli.
