GRAAFF-REINET — About a month ago, the Chairperson, Ricardo Smith, and Branch Exco of the DA Branch in Ward 5 (Kroonvale) contacted local Caucus Leader Cllr Samantha Jankovich to see if she could assist them with a project.
They had identified a young lady who, despite living in absolute abject poverty, had made it to Grade 12 at Spandau Secondary School and is really hoping to matriculate at the end of the year. In recognition of this, they decided to assist her to make her matric year motivating to ensure that she finishes.
The aim is threefold: to assist her with a dress and the necessary “extras” for her matric dance in April; to fix up the house where she lives, both to be more conducive to studying, and to provide a good backdrop for her dance photos; and to assist her to apply to study nursing through the army.
Work is already underway on the goals for the matric dance. Cllr Jankovich has already secured her a sponsored dress, and they are looking for sponsors for shoes, makeup, hair and nails as well as transport. A generous sponsor has been found to cover the cost of her ticket.
The student lives with her parents, who are also looking after her deceased older sister's two children, who are in Grade 11 and Grade 2. The house had belonged to her grandparents and was in absolute disrepair. The walls needed to be repainted, the floor was full of holes, and the outside walls are crumbling.
Rodney Mare, an experienced builder, was asked for advice on the house renovations. He immediately donated some paint and paid two labourers to paint the lounge area. He then recommended that the group needed two bags of concrete and 500kgs of crusher dust to repair the floor. Cllr Jankovich put out a request on Facebook for sponsors and Marius Heselman of the Wolwefontein Hotel contacted her immediately to donate the money for those two items, which were purchased.
The weekend before last, activists from the Ward 5 Branch went into the house and redid the floor. Some assistance is still needed to replace the windows which are broken and to repair the plaster that is falling off the outside walls, but some major changes and improvements have already been made, and the family is thrilled and very grateful.
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