In the spirit of Mandela Day, Eskom visited Oval North High School in Beacon Valley where they held an interactive motivational session, painted parts of the school, planted a tree and distributed items to pupils on Thursday July 21.
Eskom provincial head, Alwie Lester, who is a former resident of Portland, stressed the importance of education.
“The choices you make today, determines your future. There are so many opportunities available for our youth today compared to the past. So, you have to equip and skill yourself.
“Many of you are from Mitchell’s Plain, and are exposed to crime and other social ills, but you need to stand up and make your dreams a reality despite the circumstances. In my matric year, I decided to take control of my future and knew that if I work hard I will make a success of my life. Fortunately, that worked out and I am confident yours will too,” he said.
Mr Lester said the engineering industry is interesting and that engineers were needed in the country.
“It is gold to have a female and a black engineer, and I believe that you can become great engineers. You attend a good school with dedicated teachers, so you are so far on the right path.
“For now, focus on the next step, which is your September exams. Thereafter, make an effort to study further,” he said.
Matric pupil Sergio Miller, 17, said he was inspired and motivated by Mr Lester’s speech.
“Wow, that was good. I learnt a lot from Mr Lester’s life and I was inspired. He is from Mitchell’s Plain and now he is a manager at Eskom. That’s very motivating. I will continue to work hard at school, even though it gets difficult at times.
“My aim is to pass my exams with good grades and then study at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) next year,” he said.
Another matric pupil, Ihmaan Barnes, 17, said Mandela Day was an important day on the country’s calendar as it rem-inded people that they too could make an positive impact on someone’s life.
“Nelson Mandela was a good man. He had the country at heart and made many sacrifices. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge his legacy. Mr Mandela had good values and I think he is a great role model.
“Thank you, Eskom for visiting our school. I will soon make my way to CPUT to study engineering. I will make my family and school proud,” she said.