Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni visited the Agnes Chidi Primary School in Mamelodi West on Wednesday to donate sports gears and chess boards to learners in the township.
His gesture is part of the Gauteng Provincial police’s initiative called School Safety Project.
The aim of the project is to use sports to prevent school learners from being involved in criminal activities.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni was joined by Mamelodi west and Mamelodi east station commanders and Tshwane district commissioner Samuel Thine and different organisation like, CPF, Habesha community in Pretoria, Morodi Cares NGO, SGB, Brigade team, teachers and parents.
Mamelodi number one Dj Dhino also entertain the learners and the guests and took an opportunity to advice the learners.
“Soccer gear and soccer fields will motivate the learners to stay away from criminal activities,” said Mthombeni.
“We have also donated chess boards to the schools to make sure that learners don’t roam around committing criminal activities but instead engage in a game of chess, which stimulates one’s mental capacity,” he said.
He indicated that together with their partners, the SAPS has managed to visit over 50 schools in Gauteng in recent times to make similar donations to various schools.
“This School Safety Project is aimed at assisting schools to proactively keep learners occupied with sporting activities and we chose the game of chess as it helps one to analyse a situation by means of focusing on important factors and eliminating distractions,” said Mthombeni.
“No to drugs, you still have many years to go before you go to university so don’t spoil those years on drugs,” said Mamelodi West CPF chairperson Lesiba Legwabe as he addressed the learners at the school.
“I appreciate the sponsors and the police for the good work that they have done through the School Safety Project,” he said.
Ethiopian community in South Africa spokesperson and Habesh community in Pretoria Alex Senbeta, who also spoke on behalf of foreign spaza shop owners, said he has always been privileged to work with Commissioner Mthombeni and through Mthombeni’s commitment to the community, the Ethipoian community and businesses have been able to provide resources to schools, building homes, celebrating Mandela Day and that they have positively influenced the lives of many students and families.
“I would like to thank the people of South Africa for accepting us as foreigners because we ran away from our countries for different reasons like challenges we faced there and some of us were looking for a fresh start in life and you offered us more than a shelter, but you also opened your hearts to us and made us feel like part of the community, shared what you had with us and created space for us, and it is due to your generosity that we are here, and for that we as the Ethiopian community would like to express our sincerest gratitude,” said Senbeta.
He promised to give R5000 to any school that wins a game in the chess tournaments that will be played by various learners from Mamelodi schools.
“I have 220 children who take part in soccer activities, and I started this soccer initiative after seeing them smoking Nyaope and drinking liquor, and some of them were as young as 11 years old,” said soccer coach Kgomotso Makau.
He said he has made the children’s plight his own plight and that he also provides them with food and that he spends most of his time with them so as to give them guidance in life as he regards himself as their father.
Acting Principal at Agnes Chidi Primary School Miss Mampane told Tshwane Talks that she was honoured to have her school visited by Commissioner Mthombeni and expressed joy regarding the chess boards which were donated to her school, promising that they won’t be a white elephant but that they would be used fruitfully.
Principal of Mfundzo Nditsheza Primary School Margaret Seroka said she felt blessed to be in the presence of Commissioner Mthombeni and his entourage, pointing out in the process that the chess boards would be used to stimulate the intelligence of the learners at her school.
The chess boards, together with soccer gears, were donated to various Mamelodi schools like Agnes Chidi primary school and Mfundo Nditshesa primary school by the SAPS.
Businesspeople donated sanitary towels and Blue-Ribbon company donated bread and several goodies to learners.
Commissioner Mthombeni took some time off to play chess with the learners.
“God is good all the time,” roared local Ward 6 Councillor Madonsela as he addressed learners at the Agnes Chidi Primary School as he indicated in the process that he was pleased that chess boards have been donated to various schools because chess is a game of life as it helps one to make crucial decisions in life.
“As young as you are the country is dependent on you on matters like robotics and coding and the game of chess will enhance your thinking ability when dealing with the aforesaid matters,” said Madonsela.
He described the introduction of chess games at schools as a legacy that must be preserved.
Local DJ Dhino advised learners to persevere and pray and not feel pressured when they find that there is no food to eat at their homes.
He also advised learners to approach their teachers privately regarding school subjects that give them problems if they don’t want to raise such a matter in front of other learners in the classroom.
“Drugs are a no-go zone because we have problems with drugs whereby we see many drug addicts end up being mad, so don’t give in to peer pressure to use drugs,” he said.
Dhino also advised learners to regard teachers as their own parents and confide in them when they have problems at their homes.
“Unemployment is rife in the country and many parents are not working, so it would be appropriate for you as learners to concentrate on your studies so that you may get jobs that you want and be successful in life,” he said.