Victoria Falls Stock Exchange-listed gold-focused producer, Caledonia Mining Corporation, through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) drive, has brought hope and excitement to the people of the Sitezi area in Gwanda through the construction and upgrade of the community school and clinic.
According to Caledonia CEO Mark Learmonth, CSR is a fundamental aspect of Caledonia’s business, not just a social license to operate. He mentioned that his company regards education as a pillar of the company’s CSR strategy.
He stated that their involvement at Sitezi School has transformed the school into a better and more modern learning facility.
“Education is one of the six pillars of our CSR strategy, and this particular project is one of several that we’ve done in the educational sector. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved here. We’ve turned this school into something that looks fantastic, with great facilities,” Learmonth said.
Gezani Nkala, Headmaster of Sitezi Secondary School, mentioned that before Caledonia got involved with the school, it was falling apart. The floors were potholed, the roofs were leaking, and the walls were also very dirty. However, Caledonia has managed to bring the much-needed transformation to the school.
“Over the last year, Caledonia Mine has done several things here. They have repaired the potholes, done the walls, replaced the roofs, painted the school, plastered the school, and built new buildings.
“We never had running water here. Now we have running water. The impact that it has had on the children at school here is quite great. Absenteeism has gone down. They are now participating. They feel good about the changes that have taken place here in the school. We never used to have furniture. Students used to share chairs and desks. Now each student has their own desk and chair. You see a different student walking into the school now. They never used to have that confidence that they have. Now you see a student who is walking, you see that student is confident,” he said.
Samson Gombingo, CSR officer at Blanket Mine, mentioned that the issues at Sitezi Clinic were extremely negative when they came in. There was no facility for expecting mothers at the clinic, no water in sanitation and the wards, and no electricity for the “Cold Chain” at the clinic.
“Currently, what has been completed is we have provided water recirculation and sewer recirculation at the clinic.
“We are in the process of building a ten-bed mother’s shelter that will finish. We are also in the process of establishing a solar plant. The solar plant will supply unlimited solar energy and power to the clinic. And we also have other facilities that will benefit from the solar plant,” he said.
