Durban – Hollywoodbets (a sports betting and horse racing company) teamed up with the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) and Ntenga Foundation to hand over more than 900 pairs of school shoes to children across eThekwini on Wednesday.
At the beginning of 2021, in an effort to invest in South Africa’s future leaders, Hollywoodbets embarked on a national back-to-school campaign. This led to a partnership with Santaco and the Ntenga Foundation strengthened Hollywoodbets’ work and commitment to the communities they serve.
“It is heart-warming to know that we have played an integral part in this initiative, as we will be making an even larger impact on the lives of young South Africans. We hope to work with Santaco and the Ntenga Foundation on more projects and make further investments in the education sector,” says Sandisiwe Bhengu, commercial manager of Hollywoodbets.
KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala attended the official handover ceremony and acknowledged those who joined this initiative.
“We wish to acknowledge the wonderful, productive collaboration of Hollywoodbets, Santaco and the Ntenga Foundation for extending a helping hand to 30 schools in eThekwini. Thank you for the continued support towards our children. They are the young leaders of this country and this contribution will assist them to build a prosperous future. I also want to commend the organisations for their further contribution of R50 000 worth of PPE to the schools,” said Sihle Zikalala, KZN Premier.
Chairman of the Ntenga Foundation, Siyanda Ntenga, explained why this project was so important for the organisation.
“I know what it is like to go to school without proper shoes; it lowers your self-esteem. Getting involved in such initiatives means a lot to me. These children will remember this day for the rest of their lives, so thank you Hollywoodbets.”
Yusuf Khaliva, chairman of Santaco, said the effects of Covid-19 prompted the taxi council to do something for the impoverished communities of Durban.
“To the team at Hollywoodbets, thank you for the sterling job that you have done here today. As we know, due to Covid-19, most companies struggled a lot. Instead of not doing anything, we sat down with Hollywoodbets and the Ntenga Foundation and decided to do something.
“It is very important because Santaco is a taxi industry and most of the taxi owners never had school shoes to wear, so they used to walk barefoot,” said Khaliva.