By Emily Setona
QWAQWA – A powerful message of hope and action was delivered to learners at Thiboloha Special School this week: disability must never stand between them and their dreams.
The school’s 274 learners received a major boost on Friday, 7 August, when they were handed stationery packs, lunch bags with water bottles and fleece blankets in a community intervention aimed at strengthening learning conditions at the special school.
Matric learners received additional stationery packs, while Maluti-a-Phofung Executive Mayor Tumelo Thebe donated school shoes.
Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality Executive Mayor Conny Msibi said the intervention marked a shift from promises to tangible action.
“The time for empty promises is gone. It is time for action,” Msibi said.
Thiboloha was identified in 2024 because of the determination and achievements of its learners.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Seiso Mohai said the intervention was intended to help close the gap between well-resourced schools in cities and under-resourced schools in disadvantaged communities.
“We are here to bridge the gap, to resource this school,” Mohai said.
Drawing on Nelson Mandela’s belief that children are the foundation of the future, Mohai told learners that government and society could not allow persons with disabilities to be denied meaningful educational opportunities.
He urged learners to persevere, develop skills and prepare themselves to seize opportunities, including employment.
“To the learners, you must not tire. You must know that there are men and women who are ready to shoulder your burdens with you,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the learners and staff, Tiisetso Thaele said the gesture had reinforced their belief that people wanted to see them succeed.
“With the opportunity that is given to us, we will do the best we can. We promise to be responsible citizens who will contribute positively to the country,” Thaele said.
Thiboloha principal Steve Khooa said the school’s learners continue to challenge perceptions about disability, with deaf, blind and learners living with severe and moderate disabilities demonstrating that they can excel academically.
“We are at a stage as Thiboloha in 2026 that deaf learners and blind learners can make it,” Khooa said.
The learners also received a powerful message from Meagan Chauke Adonis, a youth, women and persons with disabilities activist in Parliament, who challenged them to reject limitations imposed by society.
“I am young, I am a woman and I am blind. I am like you,” she told the learners.
Adonis urged them to take ownership of their future through education and determination.
“You must commit yourself to being the best you can be. You must commit yourself to educate yourself.”
Minister Counsellor Zhao Jixian of the Chinese Embassy said China shared South Africa’s belief in the transformative power of education and expressed hope that the donation would help create a better learning environment for both learners and teachers.
The Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality also presented Mohai and the Chinese ambassador with Sesotho blankets, while Thiboloha presented its guests with blankets in appreciation.
For Thiboloha’s learners, however, the intervention carried a message far greater than the value of the items handed over.
It was a reminder that their potential is recognised, their education matters and disability should never determine the limits of their future.
