Today, Afrimat's Pietermaritzburg Quarry unveiled two additional, newly built classrooms at Unobhala Secondary School, in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, expanding the school's infrastructure to 12 classrooms with offices.

Unobhala Secondary is in rural KwaZulu-Natal's uMkhambathini Municipality, in the Nkanyezini area, under the leadership of the KwaNyavu Tribal Authority. It is a Section 20 school, meaning it is a non-fee-paying rural school and the school’s finances are centrally managed by the provincial education department.

The school is well-known for achieving excellent matric results under difficult teaching and learning conditions, such as overcrowding in classrooms, a lack of resources and an imbalanced learner-teacher ratio. The school currently has 750 students enrolled and a staff complement of 20.  Prior to the additional two classrooms, the number of learners per classroom averaged an unmanageable 75.

This project, costing just over R 700 000.00, was undertaken as part of Afrimat Pietermaritzburg Quarry's Social and Labour Plan commitment for the 2019-2023 cycle. The two additional classrooms have been allocated to grade 12 students, enabling teachers to achieve a more manageable learning environment. Jaco Daniel Construction led the project as Contractor, with Meshack Wencwadi Investment Company (Pty) Ltd providing services as the subcontractor.

This project follows other Local Economic Development projects and initiatives undertaken by Afrimat Pietermaritzburg Quarry, including:

• 2014-2018 cycle: Msunduzi/Mkhambathini P.E.A.C.E: Pandora Environment and Conservation and Education in the Msunduzi / Mkhambathini Municipalities. The project focused on the removal of alien plants in the Msunduzi/Mkhambathini Municipalities.
• 2009-2013 cycle: Construction of an ablution block at Ashburton Primary School.

Stakeholders who attended the event included Deputy Minister Dr Nobuhle Pamela Nkabane (DMRE), Unobhala High School Principal, Mr Thulisani Ndlovu, Executive Director of Afrimat, Mr Collin Ramukhubathi, COO of Afrimat's Construction Materials division, Mr Davin Giles, Afrimat Regional Manager for Social Development, Mr Themba Duze, Umkhambathini District Director, Mr S Mabinza (KZN Department of Education), Chief Mdluli (KwaNyavu Tribal Authority) and Chairperson of the School Governing Body, Mr Z.F Mbambo.

Afrimat remains committed to partnering and working hand in hand with different stakeholders to continue creating value in the different communities where it operates.