1. Mpho Maisa, Tak Hiemstra and Niki Cronje from the IMPERIAL I-Pledge team with the newly kitted out scholar patrol team at Vukani Junior Primary School.
July 19, 2012 – An alarming 1,500 children are killed each year and thousands are injured in pedestrian and road accidents, according to the Road Safety Foundation. It is for this reason that IMPERIAL Holdings, the diversified automotive, industrial services and retail group behind the I-Pledge road safety campaign, celebrated Mandela Day by refurbishing road markings and scholar patrol signage at Khomanani and Vukani primary schools in Soweto.
The learners and teachers were treated to a short skit on road safety awareness performed by Active Education, sports coaching organisation, as well as a demonstration of how to use their new scholar patrol equipment correctly. Over 1,400 learners from the two schools also pledged to be more visible and more alert on the roads.
Principal of Vukani Junior Primary school Miss Phumelele Dladla said, “We thank IMPERIAL for being partners in education and for planting a seed in our learners to be responsible young citizens.”
The festivities also included a 67-minute soccer tournament at Khomanani primary school, facilitated by Active Education, which sought to bring together the message of fitness and road safety.
Ending things off on a sweet note, commemorative birthday cakes were cut and shared among the learners. “We are honoured to be able to mark Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday and the I-Pledge anniversary by investing in young children’s lives by investing in their safety,” said Tak Hiemstra, executive director of IMPERIAL.
To date, over 52,000 South Africans have taken the IMPERIAL I-Pledge. This is their personal commitment to make a difference by curbing their bad habits on the road and adopting a safer, friendlier attitude to fellow road users. IMPERIAL calls on each and every road user – whether a motorist or a pedestrian, a biker or a cyclist, child or adult – to take the I-Pledge on www.ipledge.co.za.
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Scholar Patrol and Road Safety
2. IMPERIAL’s Niki Cronje and Tak Hiemstra earn their stripes by helping to revive the fading zebra crossing along the busy main road that runs past Vukani Junior Primary School.
3. Over 900 learners from Khomanani and Vukani primary schools made their pledge for safer roads on Mandela Day.
4. The Khomanani Primary School scholar patrol in action with their new gear and freshly painted road markings