Literacy revolution took root under a tree

In the heart of rural Limpopo, under the shade of a tree in the small village of Ga-Ipate, a quiet revolution in childhood literacy took root — sparked by an unlikely founder, Makgatla Thepa Lephale.

Lephale never set out to become a literacy champion. Yet her lifelong love of reading — and the curiosity of neighbourhood children — set her on a path that would transform her community.

“I realised growing up that in our village, there’s no culture of reading. We didn’t have access to a library and books were rare.

“The idea of starting something was planted in my mind in 1994, but it only came to life in 2015.

“It started in a very funny way. When you’re new in a village and you don’t have friends, you find solace in books.

“I used to sit under a tree with a book, and the neighbourhood kids would just stare at me,” Lephale said.

She said the book club started with six children.

“One day, I just asked them: if I start a reading club, would you join? And they said yes.”

With no children’s books at hand, she improvised.

“I used my adult books and drew pictures to help them understand the stories,” Lephale said.

The children named their club “Penelopele,” meaning visionaries.

“They chose the name themselves. It was so inspiring to see them own the process,” she said.

As more children joined the club, her husband bought a garden shed and then a neighbour lent them a patch of land. 

“We were getting a lot of donations and the space became too small.

“So I went to the local chief and asked for land. He gave us a small plot and I used Facebook to ask people to donate bricks,” she said.

That online plea led to an outpouring of support.

A local radio worker helped connect Lephale with GEMS, which alongside the Brian Valois Family Foundation, helped build a permanent structure.

Two years later, Hollywood Bets donated a mobile library housed in a repurposed shipping container.

“We now have two structures: the brick building and the container library.

“We serve more than 60 children from the village. One of them is a child with a disability who has never been to school. The only school she knows is our library,” Lephale said. 

The journey has not been without setbacks, including vandalism and theft. But these have not deterred Lephale.

“Our water tank was stolen. Books were vandalised. But we are not discouraged. You can’t blame a society that has been broken — we’re working to rebuild a relationship with books.”

The impact is undeniable.

“One girl who couldn’t read at all before, can now read comfortably in front of a class.

“Others who used to rank at the bottom are now in the top 10 in their grades. When we heard one of our kids was shortlisted for Oprah’s school, we were so proud,” she said.

Lephale dreams of expanding their offering, including introducing speech development and vocational training.

“I want to get sewing machines and create a space where children can dream bigger.

“This library is more than a building,” she said.

“It’s about restoring dignity, building confidence and changing lives.”

This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation