President Zuma to celebrate World Teachers Day by re-opening school in Mbizana

President Jacob Zuma will mark World Teachers Day at Redoubt, Mbizana in the Eastern Cape on Saturday, 5 October, where he will open and hand over Ethridge Junior Secondary School to the community.

The school has been built by Anglo American Platinum as part of compliance with the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act’s Social and Labour Plan. The project was facilitated by the Department of Mineral Resources.

Ethridge Junior Secondary School was identified as one of the projects that would contribute towards rural development in one of the labour sending areas in the Eastern Cape. 

Though this project was part of the Social and Labour Plan commitments of Anglo American Platinum and commissioned in November 2011, it has been fast-tracked as part of the efforts to implement the commitments entered into by government and social partners in the High Level Dialogue on the Economy convened and Chaired by President Zuma on October 17, 2012, also known as the Presidential Package for mining towns.

The provision of the school directly responds to commitments in the Presidential Package for the development of a new partnership between social partners for the development of sustainable human settlements in mining towns, labour sending areas and all communities.

The total expenditure of the project is R 45 732 773. 84. The school has state of the art facilities including:

·          18 Class rooms;

·          Sports Ground;

·          Computer Laboratory;

·          Science Laboratory; and

·          Library

·        A Lilliput Sewer Treatment Plant which processes sewerage and releases grey water for irrigation;

·          A borehole and chlorination providing the learners with potable water;

·          A community hall will be constructed as part of the Phase 2 of the project.

Ethridge JSS was established in the nineteenth century by the Anglican Church missionaries. The school had become dilapidated with old infrastructure and a lack of adequate equipment to provide a good enabling learning environment. The newly constructed school will cater for 1000 pupils from Grade R to Grade 9.

The school will be handed over to the Eastern Cape Provincial Government and the community by the President.