Two donated mobile classrooms, valued at R440 000, are poised to transform the lives of severely
disadvantaged young people living in Hazelmere, an impoverished area close to Verulum lacking
services, such as schools, clinics, and libraries.
The new facilities, sponsored by the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT), were presented
to Msawanele Kingdom Fruitage, a registered Non-Profit Organisation, for the establishment of a
children’s after-school homework centre and reading room, together with the creation of a skills
development centre for unemployed youth in Hazelmere.
Commenting on the classrooms donation, SAMCT representative, Mr. Gaff Osman, said: “Msawanele
Kingdom Fruitage is doing incredible work in this especially depressed area, providing for the social
and educational needs of the community, especially children and the growing numbers of
unemployed youth here. However, the provision of appropriate infrastructure was a financial
challenge it was unable to meet.”
Established in 2017, Msawanele Kingdom Fruitage is geared to empower disadvantaged communities
in this severely under-served area through education and social development, whilst also responding
to humanitarian needs. It played a vital role in providing food parcels to hunger-stricken families at
the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and again with food, clothing and sanitary goods during both
the July 2021 civil unrest and floods in April 2022.
“Our country’s young people deserve every educational and developmental opportunity, regardless
of their socio-economic circumstances and the massive efforts being made by this organisation in
Hazelmere are of paramount importance to the futures of the area’s young residents. In view of the
need for facilities to assist the organisation and those it serves, the SAMCT was pleased to contribute
to its cause by sponsoring the two required mobile classrooms,” Mr. Osman added.
He said it was vital that the area’s disadvantaged children be afforded a safe space in which to
complete homework and that the large unemployed youth segment have somewhere to learn new
skills, inclusive of free computer classes, to improve their prospects of future employment.
Other after-school activities will include a reading club and, potentially speech and drama and chess
classes. In addition, a women’s empowerment programme is envisioned, helping individuals craft
beaded goods for sale in local shops and markets, as well as entrepreneurial classes to help them
become viable business owners in the future.
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
organisation 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 organisations in the fields of healthcare, social development, poverty alleviation
and education.
Mr. Osman said: “The SAMCT was privileged to be able to partner with an organisation which so
clearly recognises the importance of education and the fostering of soft skills for enhanced youth
outcomes, such as social and health behaviours and workforce success. It is our hope that their
education, skills development and empowerment initiatives will be given increased momentum as a
consequence of having access to the new infrastructural facilities we have provided.”