Maropeng celebrates the spirit of Madiba with Maloney’s Eye

It was a festive occasion on Wednesday for the children who attend Maloney’s Eye Rural Primary School in the Magaliesburg district when staff from Maropeng and some of its service providers arrived to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s birthday a day early.

The children at Maloney's Eye Rural Primary School, all neatly turned out in their blue-and-yellow uniforms, were ready to entertain their guests with traditional dances at a special assembly called for the occasion.

In return, the Maropeng delegation couldn’t wait to see the kids play on two spanking-new jungle gyms out in the school yard.

And food and beverage staff from Maropeng were on hand to serve 287 cups of hearty soup and buttered rolls to the kids.

But first, the manager of the hotel at Maropeng, Peter Mhanaza, had a special message for the children, as Maloney’s is the same school he attended as a child.

“I was raised on a small farm 2km away from here,” said Mhanaza. “ My family did not have a lot of money and today I am working at Maropeng.”

Maropeng has built up a special relationship with the school over the past three years, and helped build a new kitchen last year. It has also been supplementing a school feeding scheme with food donations from Pick n Pay.

Magel van de Venter, Maropeng’s education marketing executive, explained: “Many of the children come from very poor backgrounds and the Gauteng Department of Education supports the school with a feeding scheme. For these children, this is often their only meal of the day.”

So when it came to staff pitching in for Mandela Day, the idea of serving a hearty soup instead of the usual samp or pap came naturally.

Maropeng head chef Peter Langa decided on a hearty beef and vegetable soup, prepared in the restaurant kitchen, while staff rolled up their sleeves to butter the rolls. On hand to dole out the soup were Lucky Legari, Moses Molefe and John Nkomo, who told each child: “Be careful. It’s hot. Enjoy.”

The donation of the two jungle gyms was a group effort on the part of Maropeng and its service providers – Flow Communications, Southern Spoor Marketing and Cathy Findley Public Relations – and cost about R8 000 each.

Maropeng MD Tony Rubin pledged to continue Maropeng's support for the little school, adding: “You are all an inspiration to me.”

Principal Mpho Sechotlo said: “The children were so excited when the equipment arrived; they did not want to go to class. They just wanted to play.”

And her message to the kids was: “It doesn’t matter where you come from, or who you are, anyone can succeed. This school is going to produce leaders.”

Flow Communications put this short video together about the handover at Maloney's Eye: