Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal: The Hollywood Foundation, in partnership with the Ikhono Foundation, officially handed over critical new infrastructure to Susan Ngcobo Primary School on 12 August 2025, marking a milestone that will substantially improve safety, comfort, and learning opportunities for nearly 1,000 learners.
This project followed a site visit that revealed the school’s severe shortage of infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and unsafe ablution facilities. Serving 969 learners in the Inanda (Amaoti) community, the school had been operating under extreme strain, with an average of 80 pupils in each classroom. Many rooms had decaying floors, broken windows, and cracked doors. The only library was a cramped Wendy house structure that could accommodate just three learners at a time, severely limiting access to reading materials and hindering efforts to foster a love for books.
Determined to change this, the Hollywood Foundation stepped in to provide meaningful, lasting solutions. Two brand-new prefab classrooms, fully equipped with kiddies’ chairs and tables, now help to ease overcrowding and create a more comfortable learning environment. A refurbished container has been converted into a proper library, offering a safe and inspiring space to nurture a reading culture among learners. Most importantly, 27 outdated pit toilets have been replaced with flushing facilities, fully refurbished with painting, tiling, and a connection to a septic tank, a vital step in improving hygiene standards and reducing health risks.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mpho Dintwa, CSI Manager of the Hollywood Foundation, said, “We believe that every child deserves a safe space to learn and the opportunity to thrive academically. This project is more than an investment in infrastructure, it’s an investment in the future of these children and the wider Inanda community.”
Susan Ngcobo Primary is in an under-resourced area marked by high crime rates and concerning school dropout levels. By improving facilities, the Hollywood Foundation hopes to contribute to reducing these challenges and creating an environment where learners can focus on their education without the burden of unsafe or inadequate infrastructure.
The school community has expressed deep gratitude for the intervention, noting that the new classrooms, library, and toilets have already brought a renewed sense of pride, motivation, and hope to both learners and staff.
