On the morning of 28 April 2022, Mr. Alvern Malgas (MaxProf Regional Manager: Northern Cape and Free State) and Ms. Lineo Monokoane (EST Sourcing Bursary Coordinator) went on what was supposed to be a 2-hour road-trip, from Kimberly to Kuruman. The drive was extended to 3.5 hours due to extensive rainfall in the region which caused flooding of the roads for several days. Upon arrival at the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality offices, we were welcomed by Ms. Mercia Malgas who guided us to the council chambers to set-up for the meet-and-greet.
We were delighted to be joined by all our EST Sourcing bursary beneficiaries at the John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality. The purpose of the meet-and-greet was to introduce the 11 students to their bursary funders and to also motivate them in their studies. Nine of the students travelled from the Northern Cape Rural (NCR) College in Kathu to Kuruman on the morning of the meet-and-greet to make it on time, while two of them had already arrived from the NCR Kuruman campus.
Four of the students are studying toward an N3 in Electrical Engineering, and 7 are studying N4-N6 Management Assistance and Business Management. The Executive Mayor, Cllr. Pulane Mogatle, the Municipal Manager, Mr. Disang Molaole and the District Councillors all took time out of their busy schedules to encourage the students to work hard, compete with oneself to build a better future and not to allow their backgrounds to determine the path their lives take. The Executive Mayor reiterated that the first step to attaining success is having an education. The Mayor’s office thanked EST Sourcing and MaxProf for reinvesting in the communities they operate in, as corporates do not see the need to do so. It is a great example that is being set and hopefully businesses in the area will start to see the benefits of corporate social responsibility and the impact of these initiatives on people’s lives, especially on that of the youth.
The bursary recipients were also chosen by the Executive Mayor to present their testimonials. Miss. Victoria Zulu expressed her gratitude to EST Sourcing and MaxProf for giving her this valuable opportunity after being home for six years not knowing what the next step in her life would be. Mr. Thabisho Kamore thanked the bursary sponsors for changing his life as he also had no idea what his future would hold. EST Sourcing and MaxProf are very proud of our bursary recipients for their tenacity and commitment to one day change their lives.
