Durban - VW South Africa has partnered with the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, for its Adopt-a-School programme, which has led to VWSA installing 30 water tanks at 15 schools.
With support from Old Mutual, VWSA has supplied and installed two 5 000-litre tanks for each of the schools, in KwaNobuhle and Despatch, in the Eastern Cape, which were also filled with water. This project, which concluded at the end of August, was implemented in response to a call from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which indicated KwaNobuhle could soon be without water.
VWSA is already actively involved in this community through its literacy centres at five schools, which led the group to step up and commence the project.
In addition to the water tanks, VWSA has also assisted with plumbing repairs and upgrades to the ablution facilities at the five schools. The schools are Ntlemeza Primary, James Ntungwana Primary, Vuba Primary, Noninzi Luzipho Primary, and Mngcunube Primary – where its literacy centres are based. These repairs included fixing water leaks, replacing taps, basins, and toilet seats, as well as deep cleaning.
“This particular project aligns with our role as a responsible, environmentally conscious corporate citizen, but also with our focus on initiatives to improve education in Kariega,” said Nonkqubela Maliza, corporate and government affairs director at VWSA.
“Reliable access to water is a basic human right. We want to do our part to ensure our learners have access to water, and to tools and resources they need in order to receive a quality education and ultimately build a bright future.”
“The company has done its part to minimise the use of resources, including water, for the past 15 years. Between 2010 and 2020, the company reduced its use of water by 66%, and the company continues to investigate other ways to ensure the efficient and responsible use of natural resources,” said Maliza.