Cape Town - They plan to make a change in the lives of those struggling with student debt.
The Law Trust Chair in Social Justice at Stellenbosch University (SU), the SU student representative council (SRC) and the SU division Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) along with Visit Stellenbosch will host a #Action4Inclusion Social Justice Walk on Saturday.
While the walk is part of an ongoing fundraising effort to end student debt, it also aims to acknowledge past injustices and seeks to promote renewed hope, inspiration and collaboration between diverse stakeholders.
The 16km event will start at Rhenish Church and finish at Die Werf in Pniel, where Professor Thuli Madonsela will deliver the keynote address.
Chief executive of Visit Stellenbosch Jeanneret Momberg said: “This walk also presents a wonderful opportunity for social cohesion, one of the main reasons why the route was initiated in the first place, not only acknowledging past injustices but making a commitment to create an environment for hope and inspiration for the future.
“(It is the) ideal opportunity for people from different cultures and backgrounds to get to know each other. Something magical happens when one walks shoulder to shoulder over a mountain, all divides seem to disappear.”
Madonsela said: “To help students with student debt is an Ubuntu-anchored act of human solidarity that says to students ‘we care’ and ‘you belong’. It is important that students finish their studies so they may take up their place in society and move South Africa and Africa forward in terms of economic and sustainable development.
“There is an abundance of data that shows that education does not only contribute to the social mobility of the educated, it also contributes to the wellbeing of families, development of communities and reduced resort to violence as a conflict resolution option,” she said.
For more information, call Thembalethu Seyisi on 072 785 3218.
Weekend Argus