Cape Town school communities raise R128,000 for teacher's job and wheelchair access - IOL
Masiphumelele High School pupils play giant chess outdoors. Community contributions helped reach a R90 000 target to sustain teaching and mentorship at the school.
At Masiphumelele High School near Fish Hoek, a life orientation teacher helps young chess players compete at provincial level. At nearby Capella House School, teachers carry makeshift wooden platforms between classrooms so a pupil who uses a wheelchair can move around the school.
Donna Sefer, CEO of GetGo Fund and Mr Jay Nomtayi, LO teacher and chess coach at Masiphumelele High School.
The two Cape Town school communities have raised a combined R128,000 – R90,000 towards the Masiphumelele teacher’s salary and R38,000 for wheelchair access improvements at Capella House, via GetGo Fund, the education crowdfunding platform used for both campaigns.
Ahead of Teachers’ Month in October and World Teachers’ Day on October 5, the campaigns highlight the practical support needed to keep teachers in classrooms and help pupils participate in school life.
For Masiphumelele High, the fundraising follows an appeal to retain a teacher whose work extends beyond the school day.
Erin Carelse’s earlier Cape Argus report, “Help needed to retain Masiphumelele High chess teacher”, principal Skahle Nhlabathi explained that the school was seeking R90,000 to supplement the teacher’s salary for 2026.
“The school needs to raise funds, as the government’s budget does not fully cover this position,” Nhlabathi said at the time.
She described a teacher who provides academic support during school hours and runs a chess programme in the afternoons.
“The teacher has made a big difference in the classroom by improving pupil understanding, boosting confidence, and helping pupils who were struggling catch up with their work,” she told Carelse.
The programme also gives pupils somewhere supervised to spend their afternoons.
“The chess programme gives them a safe, structured place to go after school, which is very important in a community facing social and economic challenges,” Nhlabathi said in the earlier report.
At the time, Nhlabathi warned that losing the teacher would mean larger classes, less individual support for pupils and the possible end of the chess programme.
Capella House pupils celebrate reaching their R38 000 fundraising target with GetGo Fund to build wheelchair ramps and improve accessibility across the school.
In August, teachers at Capella House School attended a fundraising workshop to help improve access for a pupil who uses a wheelchair. The campaign sought R38 000 for wider pathways, a moveable access ramp and a bathroom upgrade, reaching its target later that month.
The planned improvements would make it easier for the pupil to move around the school and reduce reliance on the makeshift wooden platforms teachers currently carry between classrooms.
The pupil already serves as the DJ at the school’s Friday Jam sessions. A planned ramp would also provide access to the stage, opening up more opportunities to participate.
“An accessible route into a classroom should be part of a learner’s ordinary school day,” Shefer said.
Teachers and school staff at Capella House attending a GetGo Fundraising workshop.
“Teachers are often the first to notice when a learner needs extra support or when something in the school environment is preventing participation,” Shefer said.
“Teachers build relationships with learners, and supporting that work means paying attention to the conditions in which they teach".
For the two school communities, reaching their targets provides funding towards specific needs. Sustaining the teaching post and completing the planned access improvements are the next steps.
“Sustained public investment remains essential, and community contributions carry a responsibility to show where the money goes and what it achieves,” Shefer added.
