Frequent interruptions to school lessons and growing health risk fears at a Sezela, South Coast,
Primary School, the result of recurrent water supply issues are a thing of the past following the
recent R168 000 sponsorship of a borehole by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT).
Sezela Primary School, located in the rural village of Sezela, close to a sugar mill, has long suffered an
extremely poor water supply, exacerbated by frequent breakdowns, forcing school closures and an
unacceptable stop-start educational process negatively affecting the school’s 650 learners.
Mr. Gaff Osman, a representative of the SAMCT, said of the borehole installation initiative: “The
recurring situation at the school, where the taps dry up and learners must be sent home is no way to
provide a fit and proper education.”
“Sinking a borehole at the school was the logical solution to its water supply concerns, enabling staff
to continue the job of providing learners with the quality and consistency of education they rightly
deserve.”
The move also has the effect of reducing the cost of regionally-supplied water, enabling the school to
put the savings towards the beterment of the children’s education. In addition, the school is to make
its new borehole water available to the surrounding community, also badly affected by Ugu District
Municipality water supply disruptions.
“The provision of education in rural areas of South Africa already poses serious challenges and to
have learners at Sezela Primary School further disadvantaged by frequent breaks in their lessons, as
well as running the risk of disease, is simply unacceptable. Accordingly, and upon learning of the
school’s plight, the SAMCT was eager to assist by financing the sinking of a borehole in order to
eliminate the water issue on behalf of the school, whose finances simply would not stretch to
funding such a capital project,” said Mr. Gaff Osman.
The SAMCT was created in 2008, the result of a partnership between Old Mutual Unit Trusts and Al
Baraka Bank, for the creation, marketing, and distribution of a suite of Shariah Funds.
The organization provides funding, services, and other resources for the improvement of the lives of
the vulnerable, deprived, and disadvantaged. It has been singularly successful in delivering sizeable
assistance solutions throughout South Africa – irrespective of race or religion – and continues to work
to support needy organizations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation,
and education.
Both a supporting Rotary Club and the Illovo Sugar Mill have committed to ensuring the
sustainability of the borehole, assisting with its upkeep and weekly tests of water quality.
Mr. Gaff Osman added: “I have every confidence that the advent of access to borehole water at
Sezela Primary School will fundamentally change school life, as well as greatly assist members of the
surrounding community and we are, therefore, very pleased to have been the catalyst for such
change.”