The relatively unknown Ivory Park Community Centre was showered with gifts on Sunday as it hosted the 43rd birthday celebration of EFF Leader Julius Malema.
The facility provides meals to more than a hundred children in the impoverished area situated near Midrand North of Johannesburg.
After the coordinator of the center Dineo Mayelane who took over its running following the passing of her mother Julia Mayalane who founded it, said her team was already assisting the children with school work although the facility is hardly equipped for that and wished to be able to do more in order to unearth potential, businessman Lesley Nkuna who is the son of owner of Mike Nkuna, the owner of Masingita Group which owns property across the country including several malls pledged to donate furniture to the center to the tune of R 300 000.
The EFF itself has pledged to supply R 10 000 worth of groceries each month for the rest of 2024 with Malema saying the pledge is meant to ensure that no children are turned away as a result of food shortages.
Malema also pledged R 100 000 in cash which he said can be used for whatever the center needs.
“The last one, WE WILL LEAVE AN AMOUNT OF R 100,000,00 CASH ye lena le tla e berekishang for anything. Some things are difficult to explain, there’s always a need for money. We can’t always be giving people blankets, is she supposed to use the blankets to refill her car, we must learn to give money whenever possible,” said the man of the moment to great applause.
Malema also directed Mayelane to take down particulars of the children that are served by the center including their clothing and shoe sizes for the EFF to buy them uniform a move he said is meant to instill some self confidence into the young ones who are all from poor families.
Malema used the opportunity to express an EFF wish for the state to provide poor children with free school uniforms.
“We can’t say children must wear uniform when they don’t have it. Uniform means uniformity, that we must all look the same but some children look better because the parents of others don’t afford uniform. In the EFF we believe school uniform must be free of charge,” said, Malema.
Malema was himself gifted with a goat by the Gauteng EFF leader with provincial chairperson Nkululelo Dunga saying it is meant to bring luck and prosperity to the former ANC Youth League leader who now leads the third largest political party and the only one to have grown in every election since its formation in 2013.
The EFF page is flooded with birthday messages for Malema including from organisations on the continent and the diaspora and from local figures such as former President Jacob Zuma who urged him to ensure that black parties win a three thirds majority come May 29.
Mama Dineo Mayelane, appreciating CIC
@Julius_S_Malema for celebrating his birthday with the kids of Ivory Park Community Centre.
The EFF believes in investing in the future!
and then the last one, WE WILL LEAVE AN AMOUNT OF R 100,000,00 CASH ye lena le tla e berekishang for anything.
then we will buy grocery to the value of R 10 000,00 for the rest of the year, every month.
One man once took me to a shop and bought me shoes to the value of R 1 000,00.
I never wanted to take off those shoes because they were so beautiful and I never thought one day I can own a pair of shoes to that value.
The giving of uniform is to build confidence
and as our last gift to the Centre ourselves, bana ba kamoka ba, le tlo ba direla list ya bona, size tsa dieta, size tsa uniform – re ba fe dieta le uniform…
for you to be leaders tomorrow, you have to go through what you are going through today. We are sharpening you to be the best of the best.
