Pretoria – Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Pamela Tshwete has handed over new school uniform to underprivileged learners in Frankfort outside King William’s Town in Eastern Cape.
The Deputy Minister, in partnership with the Department of Social Development, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), as well as Amathole District and Amahlathi Local Municipalities handed over the uniform to 102 learners at Zamukukhanya Lower and Higher Primary School in Frankfort.
The intervention aims to bring uniformity in the school because the learners’ parents could not afford to buy the new uniform.
This follows the merger between Zamukukhanya and other schools that were closed down in the area and as a result, the learners had different uniform.
Water use efficiency
Deputy Minister Tshwete used the occasion to raise awareness on water use efficiency to mitigate the current drought.
One hundred hippo water rollers were handed over to community members, while another 100 community members received 20-litre buckets to carry water.
The hippo water roller project works with rural and impoverished communities to help improve access to water. The innovation makes it easier to transport water to people’s homes. Its design allows the water drum to be pushed by means of a handle frame so the person transporting the water doesn’t have to carry the bucket by hand.
“The criteria focused on the elderly and sick people who are really struggling,” the Deputy Minister said.
She urged the community of Frankfort to conserve water and also promised to give the school water tanks to harvest rain water and promote water conservation. – SAnews.gov.za
