The Rep 14 October 2022

4 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: bobeloz@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 14 October 2022 THE R E P R ES E N TAT I V E
Pupils learn about real-life professions
ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA
Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality
acting mayor and public safety
portfolio head Zukiswa Ralane
said the career expo held at Gali
Thembani, Madeira Park, was initiated
by the Special Programmes Unit (SPU)
for grade 10, 11 and 12 pupils.
Ralane was standing in for m ayo r
Thembeka Bunu, who was at
Kamastone attending another
municipal programme.
Ralani said: “The career expo was of
importance, especially for grade 12
pupils who will soon be heading for
tertiary education. It is also to equip
pupils, to have an idea of what career
to pursue based on their subjects.”
G ove r n m e n t , financial and tertiary
institutions were present to inform
scholars on what courses to choose
from to enter into the professional
space, with departments such as the
police and the national defence force
being available.
Ralane indicated that the
programme would continue annually.
SPU head Bukiwe Simina said as a
department that worked with the youth,
elder persons, disabled people and
children, an initiative to hold the career
exhibition programme for the younger
generation was needed.
“We invited the health department,
social development, economic
development and tourism and
environmental affairs, public works, the
South African National Defence Force,
the Railway Safety Regulator and the
CAREER EXPO: Pupils were drawn into a ‘murder crime scene’ as a South African Police Services sergeant
Temba Nkopo took them into the nitty-gritty of investigating a crime scene Picture: ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA
South African Police Service to assist in
making the programme a success.”
Tertiary institutions such as Boston,
Ikhala, Silulo Ulutho Technologies,
Damelin and Nelson Mandela
University also shared information at
stalls with pupils.
“We wanted to bring these
institutions closer to Enoch Mgijima for
pupils to receive proper guidance on
careers they want to pursue or those
they can choose from.”
She said schools from all 34 wards
of Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality
would take part in the career
exhibition.
“Today we took in schools from
Ezibeleni, Mlungisi and Sterkstroom.
Tomorrow we will have schools from
Whittlesea, schools from former
Tsolwana and Hofmeyr.”
Chris Hani West department of
education’s Masonwabe Prusent, who
operates the education support
services, said part of the work involved
career guidance for grade 9s in schools.
The education support services deal
with safety, career guidance, dance,
music, sports and library programmes.
“We visit all schools to give career
guidance to grade 9 pupils, to prepare
them for the subject choice which they
are required to make for grade10,
which also influences the courses they
will be able to enrol for. A pupil cannot
want to be a doctor while taking
accounting instead of maths and
p hy s i c s .”
He believed if career guidance was
implemented in life skills lessons,
pupils would not be confused at a later
stage about what profession to follow.
According to him, engineering and
technological courses were more in
demand in the labour market.
“We encourage pupils to embrace
taking pure maths as a subject instead
of maths literacy which offers them
better opportunities in the economy.”
Power to the people finally, after substation fixed
COMMUNITY RECONNECTED: Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality mayoral committee members and Ezibeleni
ward councillors were at the substation in Unathi Mkefa to witness the reconnection of the restored transformer that
residents have been waiting for with bated breath Picture: ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA
ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA
After battling with constant power
outages for about two years, residents
in Unathi Mkefa, OR Tambo and Zone
D in Ezibeleni finally received relief
after Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality
(EMLM) technicians repaired the
substation’s transformer in the township
on Friday.
The situation faced by residents was
made worse by Eskom load-shedding.
The transformer needed repairing
after it was vandalised about two years
ago.
To try and prevent vandalism,
EMLM has made efforts to secure the
substation by installing a perimeter
fence and appointing a security
company to guard the facility. It is one
of the substations supplying electricity
to the Ezibeleni areas.
Mayor Thembeka Bunu said
restoring the transformer had taken
longer than expected due to supply
chain process delays to secure funding.
She said the situation had also
contributed to water services being
hampered as pump stations could not
operate without electricity.
The prolonged situation caused
frustration and anger among affected
residents.
However, Bunu said: “I believe
residents are pleased, along with their
councillors who were pleading with
them to be patient with the process of
its restoration.
“We also plan to address the
overloading problem in Ezibeleni
which is affecting all of its areas by
weighing the power system down.”
Meanwhile, technical services
portfolio head Mhlangabezi
Mangcotywa said the transformer
would mainly supply power in Unathi
Mkefa and also in parts of Ezibeleni,
with Queendustria included.
Mangcotywa said a battery tripping
unit had also been installed to protect
the transformer from incurring damage.
“We would like to thank the
community for bearing with us. At
times their patience was wa n i n g ,”
Mangcotywa said.
“We wanted to ensure that things
were done accordingly.
“We call on the community
members to guard and protect the
power supply facilities.
“Let us have a common objective of
fighting against the vandalism of
government resources such as
transformers which are bringing help to
the community.”
Mangcotywa also urged residents to
join forces with the municipality to
discourage illegal connections in
Ezibeleni.
He said if illegal connections
continued, it would negate the impact
of the restored transformer.
Use ‘golden years’ to share wisdom, follow passion, retirees say
GCINA NTSALUBA
No-one knows exactly how long they
will live, but statistics show people are
living longer so retirement planning is
vital to get the best out of your “golden
ye a r s ”.
“Just write that book you have been
thinking about writing your whole life.
“You have so much knowledge and
wisdom that you can give to the
community and young people in
general who need this information.
“Now is the best time to just start
writing it,” said Reverend Buntu
Mfenyana, who retired from the Eastern
Cape department of education in 2015,
only to later join the ministry at St
M i ch a e l ’s Cathedral Church in Komani.
The well-known reverend said he
had no plans of retiring from the
m i n i s t r y.
“There is no retiring from the
ministry, it is for life,” he said, adding
that not making use of institutional
wisdom in society was detrimental to
future generations because they had
nowhere to go to be informed and
e m p ow e r e d .
He added that during 2015 and
2016, he was part of a programme
organised by the department of
education in which retired teachers and
managers mentored school principals,
which he said was a brilliant and
effective strategy for k n ow l e d g e
sharing.
“Our motto is ‘Be retired but not
tired’,” he said.
“Retired professional nurse
Nodumo Mtshemla, from Komani, said
for her retirement was just the
beginning of another exciting journey
to pursue her life-long dream of
recording music.
After a long career working at
several health facilities including
Leratong Hospital in Krugersdorp,
Johannesburg, Tsomo Clinic, Ezibeleni
Clinic, Komani Hospital, Aloevale
Clinic, Sibukeng Hospital and finally
retiring from Frontier Hospital,
Mtshemla is now ready to pursue her
passion for music.
Mtshemla said she wanted to
inspire others, especially those who
had retired, to follow their passion and
make time to do what they a l way s
wanted to do.
“I want to create music and share it
with people to unite and uplift them
through whatever they may be going
through. Music is a healer, I will record
my own songs and compositions with a
live band,” Mtshemla said.