President visits Re Tlameleng ahead of Human Rights Day
President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the Re Tlameleng Special Needs School in Kimberley as a shining example of the country's dedication to upholding the rights and dignity of every citizen, particularly children living with disabilities.
Speaking at the school on Saturday morning before the official Human Rights Day commemoration at the AR Abass Stadium in Kimberley, Ramaphosa highlighted the institution's more than three decades of service to visually and hearing-impaired learners in the Northern Cape.
"This school is a testament to that enduring commitment. For 33 years, Re Tlameng Special Needs School has been serving and supporting visual and hearing-impaired learners to receive a dignified, quality education."
The President emphasised that the Constitution obliges all South Africans to collaborate in building a shared future founded on human rights and dignity. He drew on the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela, recalling Madiba's well-known conviction that no measure better reveals a society's character than how it treats its youngest members.
Ramaphosa noted that Mandela understood the importance of broad partnerships — spanning government, the private sector, organised labour and civil society — in equipping young people for the future. It is precisely this collaborative spirit, the President said, that has driven the impressive improvements now visible at the Kimberley school.
Upgrades and partnerships bring new resources
During a guided tour of the campus, Ramaphosa inspected several recently completed upgrades made possible through joint government and private sector efforts. These include a refurbished library and computer laboratory, as well as a newly installed multipurpose sports court. The school also received donations of books in both English and Setswana, along with laptops to bolster digital learning.
"We call on those who have made these contributions to remain involved with the school and to continue to help where needed. This initiative is a powerful demonstration of what it means to translate constitutional values into real change in the lives of people."
The President expressed gratitude to all partners who contributed to the improvements, urging them to maintain their involvement with the institution going forward. He stressed that such initiatives demonstrate the tangible impact of turning constitutional principles into lived reality for communities across South Africa.
However, Ramaphosa acknowledged that the country still faces a significant shortfall in providing education to children with special needs. Citing Statistics South Africa data, he pointed out that between 500 000 and 900 000 children requiring specialised education remain outside the formal schooling system. The challenge extends beyond physical infrastructure to encompass the full range of support services essential for effective learning and development.
"When government, the private sector and public institutions work together, we are able to unlock resources, innovation and solutions that no single entity can achieve alone. This school is a beacon of hope for the community, for the province and for the country."
Ramaphosa called the Re Tlameleng school a beacon of hope, not only for Kimberley but for the entire nation, illustrating what becomes achievable when social partners unite behind a common purpose. He maintained that closing the gap in special needs education will require sustained cooperation and investment from all sectors of society.
South Africa's special needs education gap affects between 500 000 and 900 000 children currently excluded from formal schooling, making infrastructure investments like those at Re Tlameleng critically important for communities already underserved in the Northern Cape. For local businesses and civil society organisations, the collaborative funding model demonstrated here could become a blueprint for expanding access elsewhere. Whether sustained public-private partnerships can meaningfully reduce this shortfall will depend on continued investment and coordinated policy implementation across all nine provinces.
