The Malikhanye Day Care Centre, located in Pine Valley, Wolseley, has been established as a model of community development, supported by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), government, business, and civil society. This centre began as a vision of retired social worker Sophia Louw, who worked to preserve and develop a modest day care centre that had fallen into disrepair. The original three-room building was in a derelict state, and its registration had expired, rendering it unable to continue serving the disadvantaged community of Pine Valley.
In 2009, Badisa was approached by various stakeholders, including the Department of Social Development, to reopen the day care centre. In January 2010, the Malikhanye Day Care Centre was officially launched. Pine Valley, a community that has seen rapid expansion due to the addition of 530 new RDP houses, faced a growing demand for safe, early childhood care and education in Afrikaans and isiXhosa. The number of children at the centre grew from 39 to 79, with the newly established structure now able to accommodate up to 120 children.
In response to this increasing need, an additional temporary building was erected through the efforts of the Dutch Reformed Church and residents of the Breede River Valley and Wolseley. A second temporary structure was made possible by the Hope and Reconciliation Trust. Despite these temporary measures, the governing body and task team of Malikhanye aspired to create a permanent, safe, and effective facility where children could thrive—a facility that the community could take pride in.
In 2014, the NLC called for applications to develop Early Childhood Development (ECD) infrastructure across South Africa. Badisa was awarded R3.5 million to build a new day care centre in Wolseley. The Witzenberg Municipality allocated land near the existing centre for this development. Although the NLC provided building plans and specifications, finding a builder willing to complete the project within the allocated budget proved challenging. As a result, the project was temporarily suspended. However, the Commission granted Badisa the flexibility to use the funds for a prefab structure, and Boland Builders was appointed to complete the project within the specified time frame.
Kobus Smit of Boland Builders generously decided to supplement the Commission’s funds, enabling the creation of an even larger and more impressive facility for the children. After further negotiations, the NLC approved the construction of a beautiful new building.
Despite the challenges faced along the way, the project was successfully completed in November 2019, with the new building officially opened on 29 November 2019.
Today, we are grateful to all who contributed to making this dream a reality. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the governing body and task team, including Dirk Louw, Wouter van Velden, and Johan Neethling, as well as the Witzenberg Municipality, NLC, and Boland Builders. Their collective efforts have brought this project to fruition.
Dirk Louw, a key community leader and project champion, reflects, “I know this school will make a huge difference in the lives of many children, and I thank God that I could be part of a project that brings so much happiness and hope for the future. We are very thankful to the NLC for providing the funds, and we also want to thank Kobus Smit from Boland Builders, who gave us so much more than just a building—he offered his expertise, time, and personal investment.”
It is our hope that the children who attend Malikhanye Day Care Centre will develop to their full potential and emerge as future leaders of Wolseley and our country.
