Excited cheers echoed across Masivuke Primary School, in Philippi, Cape Town, on Tuesday as pupils welcomed actress, producer, and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha, her foundation, Nomzamo Lighthouse Foundation, and the Cotton On Foundation.
Mbatha is also an ambassador for the Cotton On Foundation. They jointly handed over a newly built, fully stocked library to improve reading and learning opportunities for the school’s pupils.
The vibrant new space, lined with colourful children’s books in both English and isiXhosa, instantly captured the imagination of pupils. As a result, they rushed inside to explore the shelves many had never seen before.
Western Cape education MEC David Maynier was also present at the opening in the school hall. Thrilled pupils awaited the unveiling of the library and their new reading space.
Speaking to The Citizen at the school, Mbatha said Masivuke Primary School was selected after a rigorous selection process. This process evaluated several schools to determine where the project would have the greatest impact.
“Essentially, the programme works with schools that apply to be connected with potential funders,” she said. “We had a portfolio of about six or seven schools in Cape Town that we visited and screened.
“What stood out here was the strong leadership from the teachers and the principal,” Mbatha said. According to her, committed leadership is crucial to ensuring projects like this truly benefit pupils. “It’s important to have teachers who are invested and who care,” Mbatha said.
“Because when an investment lands on good soil, you know it will grow. “If you’ve got teachers and school leaders who believe in it, they are the ones who will nurture it and make sure it benefits the children.”
Before the transformation, the school had a room that resembled a library but lacked the resources needed to support meaningful reading.
“The library had the structure and the bones of one,” Mbatha said. “But there were almost no local books and hardly any books in local languages. There were only two titles in a local language that pupils could read.”
The project, therefore, focused not only on renovating the space but also on stocking it with books. These books reflect the linguistic diversity of South African classrooms.
Masivuke Primary School principal Luyanda Ngcuka said the moment was deeply emotional for both teachers and pupils. “
As a school, we are excited because the idea they presented to us has finally become a reality,” Ngcuka said.
“Everybody is happy it all happened, and this is a big day for us.” He added that from the moment the project was proposed, the school had been looking forward to what it could mean for pupils.
” I was looking forward to the initiative of bringing books to children. I was also excited about presenting this project to our pupils, and I can say that listening to them today, they are all happy about this new space.”
Ngcuka said the library’s impact will extend far beyond reading lessons.
“Reading is the cornerstone of everything in this world,” he said. “So it means that if we have accessible books, we are very blessed to bring that opportunity to our pupils,” Ngcuka added that stronger reading habits will inevitably lead to improved academic results across subjects.
“It means every subject in the school will improve. Of course, after that, it leads to improved performance in the classroom and better school marks.”
The principal also highlighted the importance of multilingual education, noting that the library includes books in both English and isiXhosa. He said all South African languages carry equal value and play a vital role in learning. “For children to speak their second language fluently, they must first master their first language,” Ngcuka said.
“The two languages complement each other and help create fluent multilingual children,” Mbatha said. Seeing the excitement on the pupils’ faces made the months of planning and construction worthwhile.
“This school is in a tough neighbourhood, and it has been one of the toughest projects I’ve worked on,” she said. “But the joy of the pupils makes it worth it. The real focus is always the children.” The school has also opened its doors to further public support.
Ngcuka said the library will continue to grow and welcomed donations from bookstores, authors, and community members.
For the pupils, the library stands as a place where curiosity, language, and imagination can finally flourish.
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