Mining Equipment Firm Expands School Support Program in South African Communities

Epiroc South Africa delivered school supplies and reusable sanitary products to Sebope and Selala Primary Schools in the Steelpoort mining region of Mpumalanga province on 23 and 24 July 2026, extending the company’s corporate social investment programme into communities where its customers operate mining equipment.

The donations followed direct engagement with school leadership at both institutions to identify critical resource gaps. Ziyanda Mkhaliphi, Regional Corporate and Social Responsibility Manager at Epiroc South Africa, described the contribution as part of a deliberate strategy to anchor support in communities where the company maintains significant operational presence through its customer base.

At Sebope Primary, a needs assessment conducted during a prior company visit shaped the donation package. Epiroc provided whiteboards and fans for every classroom, kitchenware to support the school’s feeding scheme, sports equipment including netball and soccer balls, and outdoor chairs and gazebos. Mkhaliphi explained that the whiteboards help educators maintain learner engagement during instruction, while the fans address thermal discomfort during hot summer months. The kitchenware, covering utensils, bowls and mugs, supports daily meal service, and the sports equipment encourages extracurricular participation tied to physical health and social development.

Both schools also received Palesa Pads, reusable sanitary products that sit at the centre of a longstanding Epiroc partnership. Mkhaliphi noted that many girls in under-resourced communities miss roughly one week of classes each month because they cannot afford sanitary pads. The reusable alternative addresses that attendance barrier while reducing single-use plastic waste.

Sherie ‘Palesa’ de Wet, Founder and CEO of Palesa Pads, acknowledged Epiroc’s role in advancing the organisation’s mission. “Access to safe, sustainable and dignified sanitary products restores confidence, attendance and opportunity for girls and their communities,” de Wet said.

The handover was carried out by Epiroc team members Antoinette Jansen van Vuuren (Customer Manager, Site Administrators), Belinda Laas (Site Administrator), Nkukise Mphela (Site Administrator), Dalina Sibiya and Lethabo Molapo (Customer Care Intern).

By contrast with once-off gestures, Mkhaliphi positioned the programme as sustained investment. Previous donations spanning stationery, furniture and school uniforms have, she said, demonstrated measurable impact on learner dignity and community trust. Annual contributions of essential resources, in her framing, build the kind of relationships that episodic giving cannot.

Epiroc’s broader corporate social investment framework has previously extended to equipping underprivileged schools with science laboratories. The Steelpoort initiative sits within that wider commitment, and the question going forward is whether the company’s multi-year engagement model will deepen further as its customer footprint in the region grows.