Germany's Siemens AG will fund a new high school project at former president Nelson Mandela's birthplace in Mvezo in the Eastern Cape, the Thanda Foundation said on Friday.
The idea was to develop a world-class high school called Mandela School of Science and Technology, expanding it considerably to cover a budget of EU10 million, it said in a statement.
Over two years ago the Thanda Foundation signed a memorandum of agreement with the Mvezo Development Trust with the goal to seek funding for the “fulfilment of Nelson Mandela’s dream”.
The initiative was spearheaded by Swedish entrepreneurs Dan and Christin Olofsson and Chief of the AbaThembu Tribe and member of Parliament Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, it said.
The capital cost of the “High School Project”, which included a library, auditorium, boarding facilities and a sports centre, was, at the inception, expected to cost no more than R30 million.
“Thanda Foundation and the Olofsson family are delighted and honoured to be a part of this project and we commend Siemens for their vision and bold commitment to funding the entire project while mobilising all of their business and healthcare resources to turn this worthwhile dream into a reality,” Dan Olofsson said.
“It shall live on for generations as a global legacy project, true to the dream and wish of Nelson Mandela.” -
Sapa