School gets makeover to celebrate Madiba

The school, unveiled by Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga last year has been equipped with ramps and toilet facilities for children in wheelchairs.

The school has had its roof and classrooms repaired and painted, bathrooms tiled, sports field renewed and air conditioners fitted in all classes. It also boasts a new energy efficient, low maintenance solar electric heating system in all the classrooms. The system heats up the classrooms electrically for the first two hours of the day, and thereafter, the naturally heated air in the roof voids is blown into the classrooms by fans. These fans are solar powered and can be used also to cool the classrooms in summer.

The school saw over 100 department officials, the Ferrero Social Enterprise team, builders, tilers, painters and other subcontractors working tirelessly, seven days a week, over a three month period to complete.

"The 94+ projects for Madiba build on our growing partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to mobilise teachers, parents and broader society in support of education. The Ferrero-sponsored Japie Greyling School bears testimony to great work being possible when people are united by a shared vision of reconstruction and development,” said Minister Motshekga.

Newly appointed school principal, Piet du Toit, said the school is not just renovated but feels like a completely new school.

"It's a new life, they have turned our school into a new service school, and it's got facilities for people with disabilities. Thank you is not good enough,” said an ecstatic du Toit.

Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy said that through the project, 60 schools out of 1 800 provincial schools in need of renovations are currently being renovated.

"We've been inspired by the work done at the school. They've taken a sound structure and given it a facelift. This renovation will give us an opportunity to increase the number of learners in the school."