Tourism Minister donates uniforms, toys to children at survival centre

This after the children, who mostly come from abusive families, had over the festive season written to the Minster requesting school uniforms and toys.

Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane on Tuesday donated school uniforms and toys to children at the Youth for Survival Developmental Centre situated in Pretoria.

This after the children, who mostly come from abusive families, had over the festive season written to the Minster requesting school uniforms and toys.

In response to the letters, Minister Kubayi-Ngubane contacted various people and businesses to assist with the donation of school uniforms, clothes, shoes, and toys for the children at the shelter.

Handing over the school uniforms and toys, Minister Kubayi-Ngubane said she was touched by the letters the children had written to her. 

“I approached several people and businesses requesting them to assist, I insisted that they assist the children. These children must be shown love, they must be told ‘I Love You’. We hope that these little things will encourage you,” the Minister said.

She said she is happy that the children now have school uniforms and other things that they needed.

Director and Founder of the centre, Moshy Mathe told SAnews that she is happy that the Minister has responded to the children’s requests.

“I am happy that the Minister listened to the children and felt there was a need to act. These are innocent souls, they need to be shown love,” Mathe said.

According to the Office of the Minister, she received more than 50 letters from the children.

At the time of the handing over of the donations, most children were still at school, only the little ones witnessed the handing over.

Since the letters indicated their ages and sizes, the donations came with the children's names attached to the parcels.

In total, the centre is taking care of more than 40 children whom most of them are of school-going age.

Youth For Survival is a non-governmental organization based in the community of Pretoria West and offers strategic programs and awareness campaigns, which are crucial in the concerted fight against the scourge of gender-based violence amongst other social ills.

The Minister’s visit to the shelter reinforces the government’s firm stand against all forms of violence meted against the most vulnerable in society and is also in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa's call for year-round education, awareness, and prevention campaign.

President Ramaphosa said those who commit crimes against women and children must know that they will be caught and tried and that the courts will act firmly against those found guilty.

“The violence perpetrated by men against women remains a scourge and national crisis that we must act urgently to end,” the President said. 

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)