Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, joined by the Mpumalanga MEC for Education, Ms Lindi Masina, and in partnership with ROMPCO, Ride4Hope and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, handed over a new, fully furnished block of classrooms to Boschrand Primary School in Msholozi in the Mpumalanga Province on 18 July 2025.  

This donation is part of the Classrooms4Hope initiative, aimed at addressing severe overcrowding in schools serving vulnerable communities. The new classrooms, which include attached storage facilities and furniture, will directly benefit the school’s 1,400 learners, especially Grade R classes previously affected by overcrowding. This initiative is testament to the transformative power of public-private partnerships, bringing together business, civil society and government to restore dignity, hope and opportunity through education.

In his address to the school community at Boschrand Primary School, ROMPCO CEO, Mr Mlandzeni Boyce, highlighted that children were a precious gift to the nation, adding that investing in education is a bold step towards ending poverty: “The classrooms that we are handing over symbolise Madiba’s legacy and his love for children. Nelson Mandela offered his service to the country and children’s education was always his top priority. We are donating these classrooms to give back to the communities where our company is operating. The improvement of learning environments in schools is key in restoring the dignity of education. Therefore, ROMPCO will continue to work closely with the DBE to provide the required resources to schools, and school infrastructure in particular”.

In her keynote address, Minister Gwarube said the donation of the classrooms will greatly assist the sector in addressing overcrowding, which remains a challenge in South African schools. She further highlighted that the Basic Education Sector required R125 billion to resolve infrastructure challenges: “As a sector, we acknowledge the intervention and support demonstrated by the private sector. Collaboration is critical in improving learning conditions in school communities. We are gathered here today to honour the legacy of Madiba, who sacrificed his life for the benefit of others; we need to learn from Madiba and understand the value of selfless service towards nation building”.

Minister Gwarube then proceeded to Early Bird Daycare in KwaMsholozi where she hosted the Bana Pele Registration Clinic in partnership with Takalani Sesame. This fun, child-friendly event, featuring appearances by Takalani Sesame’s muppet characters and a dedicated kiddies play zone, is part of the DBE’s vision to register 10,000 ECD centres by the end of 2025. Registering ECD centres enables the Department to provide formal support, training and subsidies, ensuring children in under-resourced areas have access to quality early learning opportunities. In her Budget Vote speech on 10 July 2025, the Minister again committed to the reorientation of the sector, listing the importance of expanding access to quality ECD and strengthening literacy and numeracy, especially in the Foundation Phase: “Through our actions we can help make sustainable and long-term interventions to enhance the quality Foundational Learning of our learners”.