The physically disabled learners of Letaba School in Tzaneen, Limpopo Province, will start 2004 school term in comfort following a donation by Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) of 28 new wheelchairs today, 23 January 2004.
During the handover ceremony in Tzaneen,, Ms Monhla Hlahla, Managing Director of Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), encouraged the elated learners to continue working hard so that they could optimise their chances of participating competitively and actively in the economy of our country.
“As ACSA we are very pleased that we are able to extend a helping hand to the learners of Letaba in this manner. We trust that these wheelchairs will aid the learners to realise their educational goals and dreams with relative ease,” Ms Hlahla said.
Whilst marvelling at the learners’ tenacious spirit, she said this gesture of goodwill underpinned ACSA’s commitment to uplifting communities in need and contributing meaningfully to the socio-economic development of our nation.
As a good corporate citizen, ACSA invests 1% of after-tax profit in several programmes around the country to enable people to become productive members of their communities. The company’s focus is health, education and training as well as various interventions to assist communities, especially those previously disadvantaged.
Some of the projects ACSA is involved in includes an entrepreneurial skills development programme in partnership with the Peninsula Technikon in the Western Cape; a mentorship programme involving 25 schools from areas surrounding Durban International Airport as well as supporting the community of Vredehof near Cape Town International airport with their most basic needs such as paying teachers at the crèche and providing food and clothing for the children.
In conclusion, Ms Hlahla said: “ACSA approaches its work with communities such as Tzaneen, as a partnership and emphasis human dignity and respect in its dealings with people it serves”.
