As part of the Mandela Day Celebrations, Transport Deputy Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga together with Eastern Cape MEC for Transport Thandiswa Marawu and the Mandela family led by Winnie Madikizela Mandela hosted the Zenani Mandela Scholarship Certification for Road Safety Ceremony at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu on Wednesday, 18 July 2012.
The Zenani Mandela scholarship was set up to raise awareness on the disproportional rate of death and injury on our roads, and to urge support for the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and also to inspire the young leaders of South Africa to join the Global movement as represented by the UN Decade of Action which aims to save millions of lives to 2020 and beyond.
The Scholarship offers young South Africans an opportunity to learn with and from other talented professionals from around the world with the common aim of improving road safety for communities in their home countries. Speaking at the ceremony Deputy Minister Chikunga said the Department of Transport responded to the call by working with communities to ensure safety on our roads.
"Every one of us gathered here has directly or indirectly been affected by a road related incident", said Chikunga. She said the establishment of this Scholarship marked a quantum leap in the campaign to save lives on our roads and the association of the road safety campaign with this name has undoubtedly elevated it to global levels. This year the certificate was awarded to Ms Beauty Mokua from the North West Province.
"As we handover this certificate of achievement we are confident that the graduate Ms Beauty Mokua will set the scene and be a dedicated road safety ambassador and lead by example", said the Deputy Minister. Ms Mokua is expected to share her knowledge and expertise gained during her training with fellow road safety council activists here at home.
She is also expected to go around the country and preach the gospel of road safety, working with the provincial Road Safety Directorates and other stakeholders involved in road safety.
