Bread company SASKO, through its Siyasizana Play Better initiative, marked a historic milestone of 1,000 completed upgrades to Early Childhood Centres and primary school playgrounds across the country. To mark the milestone, the company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo South Africa, hosted a Mandela Day celebration at Ikaneng Combined School in Diepkloof, Soweto. The school is one of the many that were uplifted through the Siyasizana initiative. In just two years, the initiative has provided safe and engaging play spaces to more than one million young children.
As part of the Mandela Day activities, SASKO unveiled a special edition loaf of bread made up of 1,000 slices, a symbolic gesture celebrating both the milestone and the vision of former President Nelson Mandela for a better South Africa, with education as a foundation to achieving this vision. The loaf was donated to a local ECD Centre run by an NGO, Barona Child Care Centre.
According to Mr Nico Moloto, Corporate Affairs Director of PepsiCo SA, the relationship between PepsiCo and the DBE is long-standing. “SASKO Siyasizana was launched in 2023 to address the stark inequalities in access to quality play resources at ECD centres and primary schools. In many communities, children aged five to nine have no formal and safe places to play”, as he quoted from the SA Early Childhood Education Review which states that 60% of young children in many communities do not have access to safe, age-appropriate play facilities.
Regional Head of SASKO Bakeries, Mr Ngange Ngxiki emphasized “Care in Action” highlighting the importance of giving back to communities which SASKO serves, including spaza shops and vendors in Soweto and neighbouring townships. “These playgrounds represent more than just structures, they are symbols of hope, care and dignity.”
Deputy Director of Sport and Enrichment, Mr Potledi Ngoepe, shared insights on the critical role of public sector collaboration in such initiatives: “An active mind begins with a nourished body. Through partnerships such as the PepsiCo SA Breakfast Nutrition Programme and the SASKO Siyasizana initiative, we are confident that our learners will be equipped to learn through play and to explore with energized bodies and minds to engage and focus fully in the classroom”. Echoing the sentiment, Educational Psychologist, Dr Sibusiso Ntshangase said that, “playing is a mirror – positive play enhances interaction and gives children an opportunity to express themselves to their peers on the playground and in the classroom and develop emotionally and cognitively”.