A community development worker has become the toast of her ward and has been hailed as a hero, after successfully negotiating a borehole for a rural village school.

Ms Shumani Magadani, a community development worker, deployed at Ward 27 in the Thulamela Municipality, negotiated a borehole from Old Mutual for the drought-stricken Mapate Primary School, after being approached by the principal of the school, Mr Amos Mukwevho. The borehole was officially handed over to the school by the management of Old Mutual last Friday.

Magadani said it was by chance when they were assessing damage caused by a storm at the school that she came to learn of the school’s plight. “I took it upon myself that I had to do something for the school as Government had mandated me to serve my community,” she said. She approached many businesses for assistance, but they all turned her down until she knocked at Old Mutual’s door.

Mr Ernest Ungulani of Old Mutual said it had become a tradition at his company to plough back a certain percentage of their income into the communities where they operate. He said by investing in education they were ensuring that their business was sustained and the future of the country was guaranteed.

Ungulani, who had attended the school himself, urged the learners to study harder in order to fulfill their dreams. “You have the whole world at your fingertips. The challenge is yours to make use of the opportunity given to you. Nothing is impossible and you can always make it,” he said.

The principal, Mr Amos Mukwevho, said they were extremely excited about the donation. According to him, the scarcity of water at the school had forced them to abandon their greenery project. “The donation comes at a time when we are to revive the project and it will be of great benefit to us,” he said.