Obed Mlaba Technical School in the Valley of 1000 Hills inSouth Africa, is celebrating a successful small-scale renovation project that has dramatically created a much-needed dedicated administrative workspace for teachers.
The need for the upgrade became apparent earlier this year. Upon a routine delivery of staple mielie meal to the school kitchen for breakfast, it was discovered that a section of the cooking space had been divided off and repurposed as a makeshift admin and photocopy area. This arrangement compromised the space that should have been used for preparing meals.
Further inspection showed a nearby area, originally built as a servery for students to collect cooked meals, had never been used for its intended purpose and was instead being utilised as a storage room.
A smart solution was needed to solve the dual problem of the lack of space in the kitchen and a lack of dedicated administrative workspace for the teachers. Several designs were considered. The final, clever and cost-effective solution involved utilising the unused servery space.
The plan, which included enclosing the open servery area with a large sliding door and windows — leveraging the existing security bars — was presented to us by our partners, Lionsraw SA. We quickly agreed to fund the estimated £500 project (R11,500.00 in South African Rands).
Improved conditions for all
The transformation was executed efficiently by Clive and his team from Lionsraw SA, to whom we are most grateful.
- July 2025 Holidays: Essential electricity and lighting were successfully installed.
- October 2025: The major elements — the new sliding doors and windows — were fitted, followed by the completion of grouting.
The area is now fully functional and ready for teachers to use as a proper administrative and photocopy space. This thoughtful renovation has provided vastly improved conditions for both those using the kitchen and for the teaching staff at Obed Technical School.
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