Grade R pupil mocked for oversized uniform gets makeover

He drove to her school, put her in his car and took her on a shopping spree. From new school shoes and uniform, to a stylish haircut and groceries worth thousands, she smiled from ear to ear.

This is what a Grade R pupil received from businessman Gavin Khungwayo after a picture of the 6-year-old clad in an oversized uniform went viral on social media last week.

Khungwayo, who is in the construction industry, has requested the media to speak to his spokesperson Temaswati Dlamini.

Dlamini said she received a call from Khungwayo on Thursday, asking her to help him track down the child. 

A reward of R5,000 was offered to anyone who had information on the whereabouts of the girl.

In less than 24 hours, Dlamini received a call from a woman in Matatiele in the Eastern Cape who said she knew the child and that she attended a local primary school in the area.

“She told me that she is going to go give the grandmother of the child the phone to confirm. After an hour-and-a-half an elderly lady phoned to say that the mother of the child is mentally disabled and she is the one looking after the child. She said they also sleep without food.”

Shortly after, an amount of R5,000 was paid to the lady via an e-wallet service.

Dlamini said two of Khungwayo's drivers went to the Eastern Cape on Saturday morning to meet the family. They arrived at about 8am, and when they called the number, it went straight to voicemail, she said.

“We realised that this was a scam, so we went to the nearest police station and reported the matter.”

At about noon on Saturday, Dlamini received a second call, this time from a man who informed them that the little girl was from Limpopo.

One of Khungwayo’s drivers drove to Limpopo on Sunday morning and met with the principal they had traced, who confirmed that the child had been attending the primary school.

Khungwayo left for Limpopo on Monday, and came face to face with the poverty in the village.

“When we arrived at the school, the conditions were so horrible that we broke down and cried,” said Dlamini.

“Half of the school's pupils don’t have uniforms and wear torn stuff. The walls of the school are falling apart. The ceiling is also broken. The school is falling apart and it is very sad,” she said.

“We took the child to get a haircut and bought her clothes and groceries.”

Dlamini said they had also donated about R20,000 for groceries for struggling families.

“While visiting the school we also found out that two boys aged 10 and 12 had been sleeping in the school’s toilets for seven days, because they had nowhere to go.

“The principal said he had written several letters to the department of education to inform them about the situation at the school. Teachers each give R20 to buy bread for the children.”

Most of the children did not own birth certificates.

Dlamini said they had since received several offers from people wanting to make donations to assist the school.

Limpopo department of education spokesperson Sam Makondo said they had “heard the allegations” and had sent a team to assess the situation.