MEDIA STATEMENT

KWAZULU-NATAL MEC FOR TRANSPORT, S'BU NDEBELE, OFFICIALLY OPENS NEW CLASSROOMS AT EMACHUNWINI PRIMARY SCHOOL

The upgrading of the school, undertaken by initiative of the MEC with joint Deputy CEO of the company, Mr Stanley Soobramoney, has now helped ease the plight of the 950 pupils and 18 teachers who were previously crammed into nine dilapidated classrooms and who had to share 4 toilets.

The school, located among the Emachunwini Tribe, is set in the Msinga rural area about 30 km from the Tugela Ferry near Muden. The MEC launched the initiative when he first visited the school last year to pay his respects to the families of several teachers who had died in a motor vehicle accident, among them Miss Busi Mzolo from Emachunwini, Mrs Mkhize from Buhlebuyeza, and Miss Hadebe from Ledger High School.

Concerned about the dilapidated classrooms and the absence of toilets, the MEC decided to adopt the school, and approached Mr Soobramoney for a donation from his company towards an upgrading programme. The MEC was very pleased with the company's willingness to involve itself in this social upliftment venture.

Thanking Price Waterhouse Coopers yesterday, the MEC praised the company's involvement as a sign of its willingness to invest in the development of the rural poor. He stressed the importance of all sectors of society coming together in unity to ensure social and economic prosperity for those who suffered major deprivations.

The MEC believes that it is in the spirit of the African Renaissance that initiatives such as these cut across boundaries of race and political differences towards everybody recognising their common African destiny.

The community of Emachunwini is one of the poorest in the country, and was enmeshed in social and political violence for more than 20 years. This, together with the previous policies under apartheid, had adversely affected the development of the area, including the building of schools.

Yesterday the MEC declared to the more than 1000 visitors and members of the school community that the political violence of the sort that had divided those who had been commonly oppressed was now a thing of the past. He said that he wished to see strong leaders emerging from the community of Emachunwini to serve all the people in the important task of social and economic upliftment.

The intervention by the MEC has benefited not only the 950 pupils and 18 teachers, but also the entire community of Emachunwini and indeed of the Msinga District. The community can now use the school for meetings and functions. Besides the four new classrooms and four toilets, essential renovations to the rest of the buildings have been undertaken.

Before the MEC visited the school, it was completely dilapidated, with children heavily overcrowded into the extremely small classrooms made of mud. Since the school was established in 1963 this is the first major structural improvement, it has undergone.

The MEC will continue to monitor progress on plans for renovations and the addition of more classrooms.

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