Schools and community members in and around the ELundini Sub-District in the Joe Gabi District benefitted as the MEC for Health Ms Sindiswa Gomba donated to the needy during the 2020 back to school programme. The week long programme took place from Monday 20 – Friday 24 January 2020 and was aimed at playing an oversight role as well as inculcating a culture of learning in schools in the province.

Led by the Department of Education, the programme was also joined by the Office of the Premier, School Governing Bodies, Community members and traditional leadership.

Gomba took it upon herself to make sure that E.T. Thabane Public and Primary Schools’ nutrition programme in Ugie is enhanced by donating a three plate gas stove and pots. It did not end there, MEC, assisted by Health Joe Gqabi District Manager Ms Mirriam Matandela again chose 10 most needy learners from Umthawelanga High School in Maclear and bought them brand new school uniform out their own purse after noticing their plight during the morning assembly.

In the spirit of Ubuntu and ThumaMina, Gomba also visited a family that lost all their belongings after their home caught fire in Katkop Village early this year and donated blankets, clothes for the elderly woman and school uniform and clothes for the children.

She took it further and instructed her team to make sure that the elderly woman was assisted with getting a new Identity Document as she had not even received her grant money for January. By the time MEC and her team left at the end of the programme, the woman had already received her temporary ID and got her grant money, all thanks to the MEC and her team.

The schools visited during this week long visit were ET Thabane Public and Primary Schools and Sibabale High School both in Ugie as well as Mthawelanga and Nolufefe Senior Secondary Schools both in the Maclear area. In all these schools MEC donated plates, small plastic bottles, pencils, rubbers, rulers, boxes of sanitary towels, soccer and netball balls, tennis balls, skipping ropes, toothbrushes and tooth paste. She emphasised that these should be used to promote a culture of sharing, playing, exercising, and oral health in schools.

Among the challenges cited during the visit were overcrowding which impacts negatively in sanitation and lack of ventilation in the space provided for school nutrition hence posing a health hazard. These and other challenges were noted for the department of Education to act on. The MEC also requested that schools be visited by health professionals for learners to be screened for ailments that can affect them negatively in their learning process.