01 June 08

By Makoena Pabale

A SCHOOL from Swanieville, on the outskirts of Kagiso, has done Mogale City proud by being selected to represent the province in the national South African Schools Choral Eisteddfod.

Lodirile Secondary School pupils will be at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northriding, northern Johannesburg, where the eisteddfod takes place from Thursday, 3 July to Sunday, 6 July.

Along with Sekhululekile Secondary School from Hammanskraal, outside Tshwane, it came first in the provincial school choir competition on 25 June, in Krugersdorp.

“We know how competitions are but I have been conducting this group since their primary school days and I know that this group is the best and they are determined so we are definitely going to win.”

Matlokwe explained that parents and community members supported the choir by sending their children to rehearsals during school holidays and on weekends. “They also help by providing food for the children who cannot afford to buy lunch on practice days.”

Swanieville is an underprivileged area near Kagiso, with high levels of poverty and unemployment.

The school choir competition is organised by the Department of Education, and the minister, Naledi Pandor, will attend. She said the choral competition was aimed at making people aware of the importance of education.

“This year’s eisteddfod is co-ordinated under the theme Education changes lives, changes communities, which is the theme I used during my 2008 education budget vote speech,” she said.