NEWS
MALOMA – Eswatini Royal Insurance Corporation (ESRIC) has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Maloma High School through continuous donations aimed at improving education and administration. The company made its latest eccentric gesture on Wednesday, when it handed over a semi-industrial printer and other printing equipment worth more than E70 000. This marks the second, major donation in just two years, strengthening ESRIC's partnership with the relatively new rural school in the Shiselweni Region, which currently offers classes from Forms 1 to 3. ESRIC Assistant General Manager Corporate Services, Musa Simelane, highlighted that the corporation's support began in 2024.
Assistance
"As ESRIC, we are happy about our relationship with Maloma High, even though it is still new," he said. He recalled that their initial visit had revealed a school in desperate need of resources. "After we received a request for assistance from the head teacher, what we observed was that the school had been constructed but lacked proper equipment to function at all," he explained.
According to Simelane, the first step had been to secure the school facilities. "We needed a building that was going to be able to house the equipment we wanted to donate at that time. This included computers and furniture," he said.
Back in October 2024, ESRIC provided burglar-proof doors for the staff room, five desks, 12 chairs, five desktop computers, a printer and paper, all worth E97,000. Simelane described Wednesday's donation as part of the same ongoing project. "What ESRIC is handing over today is part of the project we started in 2024. The semi-industrial printer and printing equipment donation are worth around E70 000. Today we are glad we will go back to Mbabane with happy hearts," he said.
He emphasised that the initiative was also driven by the school's requests. "The head teacher mentioned that pupils were struggling to copy notes from the board. With this donation, printing will be easier. We are hoping pupils will now believe that we are putting them first. Now they will be better equipped to compete with other schools," he said.
He further acknowledged the requirements of all rural institutions. "You find that schools in urban areas perform better because of exposure. We will look at the results at the end of the year to see how pupils perform," he added.
ESRIC Marketing and Communications Officer, Gcebile Simelane, explained the importance of the new equipment. "This will assist in printing bulk paper, scanning and photocopying. We also brought 10 boxes of Typek paper to help during the examination," she said. She added that the company had ensured all necessary requirements were met. "We came with our IT specialist who will install it right away," she said, noting that ink for the printer had already been ordered.
Maloma High head teacher, Sabelo Mamba, thanked the insurance corporation for its continued support. "ESRIC has assisted us a lot as a school. We are still a new and small school. They responded quickly when they heard about our challenges. We believe their partnership with ESRIC will take the school to a higher and beautiful position," he said. He recalled that the 2024 donation had already proved vital.
Guide
"During last year's examinations, the donations they made in 2024 assisted us. Today they have added a semi-industrial printer to that list. ESRIC is at home here at Maloma; they are the ones who accepted us first," he said.
Mamba further explained that the school had previously relied on neighbouring institutions for printing. "We used to get printing assistance from Mpholonchabaka High School. Our hands are open for ESRIC to adopt us and guide us as Maloma High," he said.
School Committee Chairperson Themba Msukuku also expressed gratitude. "I am running out of words on how to thank ESRIC. We are grateful for the assistance, even though this is not the first time. Please, accept our thankful for the donations," he said.
Form III pupil, Sbonelo Msetfwa, said the new facilities would inspire learners to work harder. "Thank you so much ESRIC for the donation. We appreciate it a lot and we are willing to put more effort in everything that we do. We will also not be left behind now; we feel just like those kids in urban areas," she said.