Address by Deputy Minister in The Presidency Noncba Mhlauli at the official launch and handover of the Mobile Digital Library, Louwville High School, West Coast

Programme Director,
Honourable Speaker of the Saldanha Bay Municipality Cllr Olwene Daniels,
Principal of Louwville High School Emile Petrus,
Representatives from Kumba Iron Ore, Transnet, and RuraTech,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

It is both an honour and a privilege to stand before you today at Louwville High School for the official launch and handover of the Mobile Digital Library. This moment represents not just the unveiling of a resource, but the opening of opportunity.

We gather here at a significant time in our national calendar. Just days ago, South Africa commemorated Human Rights Day on the 21st of March. This day reminds us of the sacrifices made in Sharpeville and across our country so that all South Africans may enjoy dignity, equality, and freedom.

This year also marks 30 years of our democratic Constitution, a living document that enshrines the rights to education, access to information, and human dignity.

Today, we give practical expression to those rights.

Because access to education, access to information, and access to opportunity are not abstract ideals. They are fundamental human rights. And in today’s world, those rights are deeply connected to digital access.
 
South Africa continues to grapple with deep inequalities, especially within our education system. Too many of our young people, particularly in underserved communities, remain excluded from the digital world that increasingly defines success in the 21st century.

This Mobile Digital Library is a direct intervention in that reality.

It says to every learner here that you matter. Your potential matters. And your access to the tools of the future matters.

Because in today’s world, digital access is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity. It is the foundation upon which education, innovation, and economic participation are built.
 
Programme director, this initiative is a powerful example of what can be achieved when government, the private sector, and communities work together with a shared purpose.

I would like to commend our partners Kumba Iron Ore, Transnet, and RuraTech for their commitment to investing in young people and in the future of this country.

This is what meaningful partnership looks like. It is not only about corporate social responsibility. It is about co-creating solutions that have lasting impact.

When we align resources, expertise, and intent, we move faster and we move further.
 
To the learners of Louwville High School:
This library is for you.
It is a space where curiosity must be encouraged, where questions must be asked, and where dreams must be nurtured.
Use it fully. Use it boldly.
Explore subjects beyond your textbooks. Learn new skills. Discover careers you may never have imagined. Teach yourselves to code, to research, to think critically, and to innovate.
Because the future economy will reward those who create, who solve problems, and who lead.
 
To the teachers and the broader community:
This facility will only succeed if it becomes integrated into the daily life of the school.
Let it not stand as a symbol. Let it function as a tool.
Encourage its use in classrooms. Embed it into teaching and learning. Support learners in navigating this digital space responsibly and productively.
To parents and community members, protect it, support it, and take pride in it. This is a shared asset, and its success belongs to all of you.
 
As government, we remain committed to building a capable, inclusive, and digitally enabled society.

Human Rights Day reminds us that rights must be lived, not only remembered. The 30 years of our Constitution remind us that those rights must be protected, deepened, and made real in the lives of our people.

Initiatives such as this one are aligned with our broader vision of ensuring that no young person is left behind in the digital age.

Through this Mobile Digital Library, we take a meaningful step toward ensuring that the right to education and access to information is realised in practice.

Because when we invest in young people, we invest in the future of our economy, our democracy, and our nation.

Ladies and gentlemen, Today marks a beginning.

A beginning of expanded horizons.

A beginning of new opportunities.

A beginning of a future where every learner, regardless of where they are born, has the tools to succeed.

Let us work together to ensure that this Mobile Digital Library becomes not just a resource, but a catalyst for transformation.

I thank you.