Following the devastating April floods that claimed over 400 lives and left thousands of people homeless, the International Business African Explosives and Chemical Industries Group (ACEI) handed over water tankers and other social relief donations to Kusakusa Primary School in Ezimbokodweni recently. The social relief efforts were focused on communities neighbouring the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex in the south of Durban.
Representatives from AECI’s Corporate Social Investment, the Stakeholder Relations manager, AECI Property Services and AECI Water and the Head of Department (HoD) for Education, Nkosinathi Ngcobo were present for the handover of donations to address immediate and long term socio-economic development issues.
AECI Group CSI Manager, Nicole Solomon said: “The supply of clean drinking water and food was the immediate priority for today and we partnered with three local schools, leveraging their established feeding programmes. These schools are Zuzuqhele High School, Novuywa Primary School and Kusa Kusa Primary School, all in Ezimbokodweni. Water tankers remain in place to fill the school community centre’s JoJo tanks with up to 10 000 litres of water, twice a week.”
She added that ACEI is determined to assist in progression of education in the country.“We handed over 250 family-sized food parcels, blankets and tents to vulnerable families of learners at these schools and the broader community. In addition, sandwiches for learners were provided by a local bakery and funded via the AECI CSI Fund,” Solomon added.
The HoD for the Education Department, Nkosinathi Ngcobo said that it was an honour partnering with the private sector for the development of learners. “As the department, we thank AECI for working with us in the provision of school shoes, bags, stationery kits and access to clean drinkable water for our children,” said he said.
