SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT MEC BRINGS HOPE AND SUPPORT TO RURAL LEARNERS AT GAUTENG CAREER EXPO

By Sipho Ncube

• Dignity packs were distributed during a career expo held at the Wozanibone Farm School in Kanana near Cullinan.
• The expo aimed to show possible career paths to the young learners, ensuring that they make informed decisions about their future.
• The Gauteng Department of Social Development’s youth brigades will be profiling the school learners to make sure they receive the support they need to succeed.

Gauteng MEC for Social Development, Faith Mazibuko, visited Wozanibone Farm School in Kanana, near Cullinan in the City of Tshwane, on Wednesday, 6 May 2025, to distribute dignity packs during a career expo aimed at inspiring learners to pursue opportunities for the future.
The expo was designed to expose learners to a range of career paths and empower them to make informed decisions about their future.
Speaking at the event, school principal Sobabeni Mahlangu shared that, despite Wozanibone achieving a 100% matric pass rate since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school still struggles with limited resources, including the absence of a science laboratory and a lack of scholar transport over weekends.
In her address, MEC Mazibuko announced that the Gauteng Department of Social Development’s Youth Brigades would soon begin profiling learners at the school. “This will help ensure that learners remain enrolled and receive the support they need to perform at their best,” she said.
“Deserving learners will also receive food parcels through the school feeding scheme as part of the Bana Pele Programme.”
Mazibuko urged learners to stay away from alcohol and substance abuse, warning that such behaviour could derail their future aspirations.

She also encouraged them to learn about South Africa’s history and appreciate the sacrifices made for their current freedoms.

“Today, you don’t have to pay school fees thanks to those who laid down their lives for our liberation,” she reminded them.

Local Chief Mtshweni thanked the MEC for bringing much-needed government services to the rural school.

“I was also a student here in 1978. Conditions have changed a lot, we used to learn in a mud school,” he recalled.

The career expo was supported by various government departments and organisations, including the South African National Defence Force, the Gauteng Legislature, the Department of Social Development, the City of Tshwane, and several local non-profit organisations.