As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting its host and labour-sending communities, gold mining major AngloGold Ashanti South Africa has unveiled a R1.8-million science laboratory at Goso Forest Junior Secondary School, in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape.

The project forms part of the company’s social- and labour-plan projects, developed in collabora- tion with the departments of Mineral Resources and Basic Education, the OR Tambo District Municipality and the National Union of Mineworkers.

At the launch of the newly built laboratory in September, AngloGold Ashanti COO Mike O’Hare emphasised the company’s commitment to the Eastern Cape community – one of the company’s primary labour-sending areas – which has resourced AngloGold Ashanti operations for decades.

He also mentioned that the facility would bene- fit not only the pupils at Goso Forest Junior Secondary School but also other surrounding schools as a satellite facility.

“We want to support students studying life sciences, lay a strong foundation and ignite [their] interest in the science and engineering field at an early age. Our hope is that this facility will produce stu- dents who will become leading engineers and contribute meaningfully towards our country’s economy.”

Speaking on behalf of AngloGold Ashanti and the departments of Basic Education and Mineral Resources, O’Hare added that they were not here simply to open a new facility, but to show that they cared about the people living in and around Lusikisiki.

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu welcomed the partnership and encouraged pupils at the school and in the community to capitalise on facilities like the new science laboratory to help break the cycle of poverty.

Shabangu told the pupils that the new facility presented them with an opportunity to strive towards becoming geologists or mining engineers.

“Enabled by this facility, you can pursue careers in any scientific and engineering field and will be able to take positions of authority, thereby changing your socioeconomic standing,” she said.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga also commended the “strong partnership” that supported government’s declaration of education as “an apex priority”.

“The public schooling system needs infrastructure, as it enables the provision of quality education. Studies have shown that this has an impact on learner achievement” she said at the launch.

Goso Forest Junior Secondary School’s new science laboratory is currently the only one in a circuit of 20 schools, with each school averaging 1 000 learners. The laboratory will, therefore, serve as a hub for the circuit.

Most parents in the area are unemployed and depend mostly on social grants. Most of the children in the vicinity travel long distances to attend better-equipped schools far from their place of residence.

Construction of the laboratory was done by a local contractor and created job opportunities for 15 Lusikisiki community members for nine months, each supporting an average of about ten people.

Building skills were transferred to locals, enabling them to become employable should a similar project arise in the future. Moreover, local hardware was sourced for the duration of the project to stimulate the local economy.