Bloemfontein, 31 January 2023 – Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA), Lesedi FM, Bathu footwear and BIC stationery have partnered for a Back-to-School campaign to get learners in the Free State motivated and equipped for the 2023 school year.
The campaign comprises of two initiatives, Motivation Monday and a Mystery Box challenge. The Motivational Monday kicked off on the ground, on Monday, January 30, 2023, while the mystery box is a three-week campaign, which kicks off on, Wednesday, 1 February 2023.The campaigns aim to motivate learners to study smarter, harder and to reach for their dreams, while also giving them the chance to win stationery packs that will equip them in their studies.
Learners who guess what is in the mystery box correctly on-air will win amazing stationery packs. A total of 50 stationery packs can be won during the three-week campaign. In addition, on Monday 30 January 2023, learners at St. Bernard Secondary School, also got a chance to interact with Lesedi FM presenters during the popular breakfast show, Thakgoha.
Lesedi FM DJs Seipati, Ba2Cada and DJ Lerato Lovers broadcasted their popular Thakgoha breakfast show at the school and learners had an opportunity to engage with the presenters and be motivated by their own personal experiences in striving to reach for their dreams and underlining the importance of working hard at school.
Speaking on behalf of the station, Lesedi FM Business Manager Mamontha Motaung, said: “Our responsibility is to continue to activate our communities to live out our ‘Botho’ values that emphasise that the whole village is responsible for the upbringing of our children.
“As a result, we the public broadcaster, pride ourselves and embrace our role in communities to enlighten, empower and unite people in a cause such as this, that will uplift our children and help them create a vision for themselves of a bright future.
“We are therefore delighted to partner with like-minded brands like CCBSA, to encourage, not just the learners and teachers, but broader communities nationwide who listen to and support the station, to be inspired to come together and reach out to the schools in their own communities to make a difference.”
CCBSA is passionate about creating shared value and supporting education initiatives, particularly in the communities in which it operates.
Pinky Lebitso, Public Affairs and Communications Manager: Inland at CCBSA, said: “We fully support the Back-to-School initiative by Lesedi FM and acknowledge our partners Bathu and BIC to provide opportunities to young people as they set about building futures for themselves”
Bathu Projects and Portfolio Manager, Lulu Mandlazi added: “The Bathu Care Project leads with a clear mandate that focuses on empowering and positively impacting our future leaders. We believe that no child should go to school with bare feet.
“We have chosen to come shed a light on the beautiful students of St Bernard Secondary school in Bochabelo township in collaboration with Lesedi FM, CCBSA, and BIC. We’re not just here to show up for the day; rather, we’re on a mission to help kids all over the country. The goal of this initiative is to restore hope and help less fortunate kids walk their way through education in comfort while wearing a brand-new pair of Bathu school shoes, with a goal of donating one million pairs of school shoes in 10 years.”
BIC marketing manager, Amy Whittam said of the partnership: “This collaboration is such a natural fit for us. We love working with ambitiously aligned brands that want to help empower young minds in South Africa. At BIC, we value the importance of education for a brighter future for our country’s learners, especially those from disadvantaged communities. Initiatives like this help build excitement and make resources and education much more accessible.”
Lebitso added: “These initiatives all form part of our efforts to help build greater economic inclusion and a better future for all.”
She added that CCBSA was actively involved in a number of initiatives that seek to elevate and equip matriculants, high school learners and university students for success as future leaders.
CCBSA creates a social impact for the youth in South Africa through sustainable programmes such as the Study Buddy Fund, launched in 2021 and which assisted 55 deserving young people across communities in which CCBSA has operations, to access tertiary education. The Fund pays for full tuition, accommodation fees, as well as textbooks. To date, CCBSA has invested over R8 million to support students and has called for applications for the 2023 academic year.
The Study Buddy Fund comprises four programme pillars:
Study Buddy Fund
Nozicelo Ngcobo, CCBSA Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Director, said: “Education is important in eradicating poverty and promoting sustained, inclusive, and equitable economic growth for sustainable development. At CCBSA, we recognise that education is central to the development and improvement of the lives of young people in South Africa, the work of dealing with challenges in our education system cannot rest on government alone.
“We recognise the deep socio-economic issues at play in our country where poverty, unemployment and inequality cause such despair and division in our communities,” she said. “Supporting the educational aspirations of our young people is one way in which we believe we can help turn the tide and create a better future for all in South Africa.”
For the 2023 academic year, the Fund will pay for the tuition and accommodation fees of deserving students in communities which CCBSA has operations with a particular focus on the following areas however, not limited to: Mdantsane/Motherwell/Phoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu / Greater Eldorado Park Community Forum (including Freedom Park and Motsoaledi) / Tembisa/ Greater Nigel/PTA West Ward 55/Westenburg- Seshego/ Alabama/ Mangaung.
Host Community Bursary Programme
The Bursary Program provides scholarship support to indigent academically strong students who meet entry requirements for access to universities. This financial support covers registration,
tuition, accommodation, meal allowances and textbooks.
To date, CCBSA has spent over R5 million and supported 42 students.
University Partnership
This provides funding to students already at university but who do not have bursaries and/or NFSAS funding and are often regarded as the “missing middle”.
CCBSA has invested R3,9 million to support 80 students, of whom half were young women.
TVET College Support
This targets young people in CCBSA host communities who did not meet university entrance requirements. Instead, the scholarship support focuses on technical skills development, specifically geared towards the CCBSA value chain i.e., electrical, or mechanical engineering.
The company has spent over R150,000 and empowered 20 students, of whom half were women.
Ligbron
This is E-Learning Using Technology to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics and science and CCBSA has invested over R1 million in supporting over 6,000 students to date.
ENDS
Contact information:
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa
+27 82 385 8324
plebitso@ccbagroup.com
About CCBSA
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is a proudly South African company which began operating as a legal entity in July 2016, after the merger of six non-alcoholic ready to drink bottling operations. We are a level 1 B-BBEE empowered company. We employ over 7000 people at 13 manufacturing facilities across the country. As a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) and a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, our vision is to refresh Africa every day and make our continent a better place for all.
We manufacture and distribute Coca-Cola beverages that make life’s everyday moments more enjoyable, while doing business the right way. The result is shared opportunity for our customers, our employees, our communities, and our shareholders.
We conduct our business ethically, transparently and conscientiously. We espouse an inclusive business culture to reflect our African identity. We accelerate sustainable, profitable revenue growth across all categories and offer an innovative portfolio of products that respond to customer needs and consumer preferences. Profitability is important, but not at any cost.
People matter. Our planet matters. We do business the right way by following our values and partnering for solutions that benefit us all.
