KIMBERLEY’S BEACONSFIELD PUBLIC LIBRARY DRAWS KIDS IN DROVES

Photo Credit Thabo Mothibi

Kimberley – “Our hope is that the elementary reading of comics will lead to the joy of reading good books,” spoken word from the late father of the nation and global icon Nelson Mandela. Madiba’s profound spoken word rings a bell in sighting little bookworms sitting silently, reading and peeping through books at Kimberley’s Beaconsfield Public Library.

Madiba’s love for little souls is well documented and his passion in advocating human development through education for a better future bears hallmarks. The Northern Cape’s 2016 Librarian of the Year, Manda Hough, appears to be imprinting and illuminating our late father of the nation’s acts of wisdom and love in having drawn droves of kids from within Beaconsfield and nearby Greenpoint to the library which falls under the authority of the Sol Plaatje Municipality.

“Our children’s reading club focuses on reading out stories to the kids during the story-hour, helping them with their reading and spelling, puppet shows and a wide range of other activities meant to stimulate their passion for learning.

“The library has not only stuck to its comfort zone. It has also extended its activities to pre-schools and other schools around the two areas. Through our outreach activities, the South African Police Services (SAPS) has been robed in to raise the alarm on safety, motivational speakers have rendered talks. We have also had the pleasure of having hosted renowned drama teacher Marlene Zwiegers who is currently doing her doctorate in autism,” enthused Hough with a sense of passion.

Hough’s commitment to the profession straddles. Her activism is mirrored in her role as the provincial treasurer of the librarian professional body, Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) which is affiliated to the International Federation of Library Associations

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Thabo Mothibi is a former broadcast journalist (TV and Radio) – with specialist reporting experience; SABC Political/Parliamentary and TRC Teams over a period of five years (1995 to 2000).

One key foreign assignment - is the 11-nation African Connection Rally – overland journey from Africa’s northern-most pole in the coastal Tunisian city of Bizerte to the southern-most pole in South Africa’s Cape Agulhas. From the journalistic years, Thabo then delved into Government media liaison and serving two former Ministers and three MECs. He became the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s first department based Communications Director at Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development - 2008-2010 – where he also served as Head of Ministry from 2003 – 2008.

As a former anti-apartheid activist, his political background and professional training aided him in spearheading the Northern Cape ANC’s 2004 National Elections media and publicity campaign and that of the 2006 Local Government Elections.

Whilst based in Waterkloof in Pretoria -2010 to end 2011, he consulted for Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence, then returned to the Northern Cape in 2012 to date, to consult independently and pursue other entrepreneurial interests in media and communications through KwaVuko Communications and Marketing.

Thabo Mothibi obtained his NQF7 through Wits University’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) in Johannesburg, a Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Marketing and Communications Academy (UMRA). The goal of the NQF7 programme was to educate and train public and private sector professional communicators and marketers in government communications..

BeaconsfieldGreenpointKimberley LibrariesLIASA - Library and Information Association of South AfricaManda HoughSAPS - South African Police Services
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