Kagiso Trust InBrief Issue#17 August 2015 Aug 2015 | Page 22

www.kagiso.co.za

TLOTLANANG

THE PLACE WHERE I QUENCH MY THIRST
Written by Manako Sefubanyane

W

e cherish and salute one
another in this family, hence
the name Tlotlanang. When
one lays his or her eyes on the
emblem of the school, this is
evident. There is a tree that symbolises growth.
Learners are nurtured to grow holistically into
responsible beings. Then follows a key. The
key indicates that with education our learners
can open any door they come across; they
can indeed take different career paths they
desire to follow in pursuit of their dreams at
institutions of higher learning.
Last but not least, there are two doves (white
and blue). This symbolises that the learners
can now broaden their horizons. They can part
and go places and with the sky as their only
limit; this means they are now fully equipped
with skills to make the world a better place.
Therefore they can touch every corner, leave
no stone unturned and plough back and serve
the nation.
One may wonder how Tlotlanang Combined
School carries out its mandate of nurturing
learners towards excellence and towards
being positive contributors in South Africa’s
wellbeing. There is only one answer to this:
the Tlotlanang family is one body made up of
educators, support staff as well as learners.
This mixture lays the foundation that will stand
tall against all types of storms that life exerts
on its structures (the learners).
To name but a few events that stand as corner
stones of Tlotlanang, we have concerts that
comprise of talent display performances such
as drama, music, poetry sessions and dance.
One could perceive the above mentioned as
overrated, but it is an utterly different story with
the Tlotlanang community. The mentioned are
presented in an outstanding style that gets the
entire community to the school on its feet.
“Learners become exposed to acting and role
playing at a very tender age, they also get

22| Kagiso Trust InBrief August 2015

an opportunity to be able to identify which
career paths to follow in the future” said Mrs.
Monnaruri. “The school, on the other hand,
benefits from these events as they become
a means of fundraising.” The learners get
an opportunity to showcase the activities in
a remarkably outstanding fashion and this
enhances the learners’ levels of self-esteem
and maturity. Moreover, even those learners
who come from troubled backgrounds, who
are always looking down on themselves find
this as a platform to show the world that
indeed there is something significant they can
offer as well.
The events have not only played a hand in
improving the learners’ academic performance
but also have contributed immensely in
assisting learners to embrace their roots and
be conversant as well as proud of their cultural
heritage in a multicultural South Africa. Most
importantly, given the fact that Tlotlanang is
a multi-racial school, the events have assisted
a great deal in enforcing unity and a sense of
appreciation among the learners - hence the
school’s motto “we respect each other.”
“Learners always look forward to performing
different activities and their parents always
support the school both financially and with
their presence,” said Mrs. Shuping. “Our
children have indeed put the school at an
exceptionally high standard, academically
and otherwise to an extent that most of the
children from the nearby community want to
be enrolled at our school.”
As if the above stated is not enou