The opening of the centre was officiated by Dr Dolly Dlavane, Chairperson of Thobo Trust, and Mrs Elmarie Joynt, Senwes’s Executive Manager: Corporate Social Responsibility, and saw representatives of Senwes, Thobo Trust, the Itokisetseng School Governing Body, members of the regional Educational District and the Department of Social Development in attendance.
In her address, Dr Dlavane elaborated on the role of Thobo Trust as a catalyst of sustainable development in rural communities. She explained that the core focus areas of the Trust are education, food security and infrastructure and that the new centre represented an exciting milestone in the developmental history of the school.
Mr Mandla Zwane, a board member of Thobo Trust, announced that the centre has been officially registered at the Department of Social Development and indicated that a special governing body has been instituted to see to the day-today running of the facility.
Senwes’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Francois Strydom, said that the project bears testament to the power of collaboration and thanked all role-players for their contributions and willingness to invest in initiatives such as the ECD-centre.
He explained that the latest development at the school is transforming the school into a hub of possibilities and that it should be regarded as a model that can be replicated in other rural communities. “The community is at the heart of this initiative and by taking ownership and custodianship of the hub, they play an integral role in enabling the future,” said Strydom.
In his address he also announced a sponsorship to the value of R100 000 by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to assist in the development of sporting infrastructure at the school. “This collaboration is just another example of how partnerships leverage resources, potential and opportunities to create sustainable impact,” said Strydom.
Thobo Trust provides a platform for the Senwes Group of companies to implement sustainable community development initiatives. These initiatives are aligned with the priorities set out in the National Development Plan (NDP).