Bob Skinstad

Day 4 – Finding our way in Mossel Bay

Last Updated on Friday, 26 February 2010 06:08 Written by Administrator Thursday, 25 February 2010 12:05

Day 4 – A boiling hot day greets us as we arrive at Isalathiso Primary on the outskirts of Mossel Bay. The township is like many others we have seen, poor and suffering from high unemployment, but the school is run like a tight ship.

The 990 young learners are neatly turned out and very disciplined as they stand in their rows in the blazing heat. Believing this to be a landmark occasion for the school, the principal, governing body and many parents took a few hours off their day to come and witness 250 of their learners receiving school shoes.

SABC radio and local journalists also turned up to document the occasion and enjoy the beautiful singing (this has really been a theme of our trip).

At Imekhaya Primary School, we were greeted by the Executive Mayor, Mrs Ferreira who had come to lend her support, even though it was by election day. As we descended the mud bank to the large hall below, the team detected something slightly different about the school and its learners. But we couldn’t quite put our finger on it because some things were still the same – the children sang and the teachers greeted us with warmth, but it was definitely there, an underlying sadness.

After unloading the boxes and fitting the children, the children gathered for an assembly and the principal got up on stage to thank “Mr Bob” and revealed the reason for their pain and suffering – the school had just lost two young learners to a drowning in the rough Mossel Bay seas. They were still very much in mourning. The principal said that Mr Bob’s visit and gifts of school shoes was here to bring healing to the school. It was quite moving and heartbreaking at the same time.

After these visits, we popped past the Executive Mayor’s office, as she wanted to personally thank us for our work and hand over a donation to the cause. Bob impressed with his thank you speech which he delivered in pretty decent Afrikaans. All those years of rugby certainly rubbed off on our banana boy.

The day ended as it should in this beautiful part of the country – on a golf course with one of the best views in the country (or so we were told by a local), as Bob spread the awareness campaign to a group of businessmen at the local country club. Needless to say, many rugby questions were asked and strategies formulated from his abundant knowledge.

Another day, another beautiful town on the coastline. Next stop – Knysna.