Emalahleni - The Torch of Peace, a symbol of national efforts to combat violence against women and children, will make its way to Mpumalanga on Friday.
Limpopo Education MEC Dickson Masemola is expected to hand over the torch to Mpumalanga Education MEC Reginah Mhaule at Kopanang Secondary School in Ackerville township, outside Emalahleni.
"The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and to ensure effective intervention strategies to prevent learners from being scarred by traumatic abuse through gender violence and violence against children," said Mpumalanga education spokesperson, Jasper Zwane.
He said the national Education Department initiated the Torch of Peace campaign in 2006 as a link between the 16 Days of Activism Campaign and other major national campaigns that support government's outreach activities.
"We hope to bring peace by holding this event at the school. We will also use the function to encourage pupils to do well in their studies. They only managed to achieve an 11.4% matric pass rate last year," he said.
Zwane said the Torch of Peace campaign encouraged schools to facilitate programmes to help youths protect themselves from abuse.
"The torch has evolved to represent a rallying point for the creation of a more caring, more humane and safer South Africa," said Zwane.
The torch will be kept in the province until 8 March, after which it will be passed on to Free State Education MEC Pule Makgoe.
