Five Chiefs players were at the Morris Isaacson High School in Soweto on Wednesday as guests of the Department of Home Affairs to hand out Identity Documents to Grade 11 and 12 learners at the school. As part of the Department's programme to ensure that the maximum number of learners, aged sixteen years and older, are in possession of valid identity documents by the time they take their final high school examinations, it is also compulsory for each learner to be in possession of an ID Book in order to take the exams. According to the department, having an ID Book at the age of 16 will mean that after two years when the learners reach the age of 18, they will be in possession of the necessary documentation, which will allow them to vote.

Chief appreciation

The Department of Home Affairs has, according to spokesperson Raynold Ndema, undertaken to visiting schools across the country with the Independent Electoral Commission and various celebrities to meet learners when they receive their identity documents as well as interact with them.

Ndema, while addressing a group of Grade 11 learners at the Morris Isaacson School on Wednesday, said "When we deliver the ID’s to schools, we bring with us celebrities. On Wednesday we had Chiefs, which we are grateful for having accompanied us, we use the players to hand out the ID Books as well as communicate on a one-to-one level with the learners around various life issues, as well as simpler voter education”.

Thebe back to roots

Amakhosi communications manager, Thebe Mohatle who accompanied Chiefs players Thabo Mooki, Gerald Sibeko, Cyril Nzama, Moketi Tsotetsi and Arthur Zwane to the Morris Isaacson High School - where he was once employed as a teacher - said to kaizerchiefs.com “It is very necessary that as a team we go to schools and get our players to talk to learners about the importance of getting an education and being able to vote and exercising that right and what it means. These young minds have a lot of questions and they are on the brink of entering the world, it makes a difference when someone they look up to as a role model comes over and speaks to them about basic social and life issues”.