By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
There was much excitement among learners at Mapenane Secondary School in Ga-Rankuwa Zone 16 when Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi officially opened the newly-built facility at a cost of R40 million.
The school, which was formerly a prison facility under the defunct Bophuthtswana bantustan, comprises classrooms fitted with smart boards, an administration block, two laboratories, a school nutrition place and a state-of-the-art hall.
The Gauteng Department of Education has since apologised to Lesufi and the public for what it called a “misunderstanding” when girls were publicly presented with “dignity packs” which included sanitary pads at the school.
“The girl pupils that were seen on stage with the Premier are not the beneficiaries, but [were] representatives of learners who will be receiving and benefiting from these dignity packs,” said department spokesperson Steve Mabona.
According to the department, when the Premier was invited to the event, the handing over of dignity packs was not on the programme and he was not scheduled to participate in the handover.
“We apologise for the misconception that this gesture caused,” Mabona added.
A tweet containing a video showing Lesufi presenting the packs to a group of girls sparked widespread outrage, with many critics highlighting that young girls starting menstruation often felt anxious and would not like this publicly announced.
The video was shared on social media by the Gauteng Department of Education.
It has since sparked outrage, with some questioning how a premier could compromise the dignity of young girls for a PR exercise.
The dignity pack that are handed out consists of the following: Sanitary towels with wings and available in the market (10 sanitary towels), Deodorant roll-on 80ml, bath soap 100g, body lotion 150ml, toilet paper roll 400 -500 sheets (1 ply virgin paper), toothpaste 100ml.