Help for struggling Vuwani pupils

Pupils from some villages in the Vuwani area are receiving educational lessons from the Munna Ndi Nnyi organisation, so that they can continue with their syllabi, even as incidents of unrest continue in their area.

A team of university-level students is responsible for teaching and giving lessons to more than 180 pupils. The fact is, said the director of Munna Ndi Nnyi, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, that the number of present pupils increases every day by more than 20 new learners.

Mufunwaini said that the organisation appealed to the government to strike a balance when they handled the Vuwani issues. “They must think about these youths who will suffer more if schools are not opened in their area,” he said. “As Munna Ndi Nnyi, we are by no means interfering with what the Vuwani residents are doing or fighting for as everyone of us has got his/her own rights. Here, now, we are speaking about the future of these poor children.”

Pupils complain that they come from families where their parents are unemployed and that travelling to and from Lwamondo is a big challenge. “My mother borrows money from other people for my transport fares,” said a 16-year-old pupil. “I feel sorry for my mother, because I know it is going to be difficult for her to pay that money back. She is unemployed.”

Another 18-year-old Grade 12 pupil from Vuwani residential area said that the media were continuing to spread wrong information. “They say our schools have re-opened, and that's pure lies,” he said. “Tell us now, what do we want here in Lwamondo if our schools are open?”

He indicated that there were no schools that had been burnt in his area, but teachers were afraid to resume classes. “They want their safety to be guaranteed before they step into the classroom and do their jobs,” he said. “But if our elders still intimidate our teachers, then our teachers will not teach and this thing is affecting us.”

Alicia Chabalala (18) said that she was relieved that there were good organisations such as Munna Ndi Nnyi who were dedicated to building the lives of the youth. “We are starting to write trial exams on Friday (today),” she said. “And, had we not been receiving lessons here, what were we going to write?”

One of the voluntary facilitators, who is also a part-time Unisa student, Ngelekanyo Themba (22), said that he was particularly moved by the children's plight and decided to be part of volunteers offering free teaching services to affected pupils.

“I feel for these children because every child has a right to education,” he said. “Without education, these children will never survive in this world. We don't want to be a nation that breeds a bunch of criminals because we have failed to educate the youth.”

Date:06 June 2016

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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