Celebrated actor Fats doing it for the less privileged during a Pandemic
By Edward Tsumele
During times of a lingering existential threat such as the Covid-19 pandemic, it is easy for those who are privileged to lock themselves in their comfortable homes and forget about those that are vulnerable. But not celebrated TV, film and stage actor Mpho ‘Fats’ Molepo. Apart from making sure that hefulfills the demands his normal job of a tight schedule, shooting his scenes at TV soapieRhythm City, Molepo, who has immortalized the role of Fats at this e.tv soapie, is also dividing his time to help the less privileged in society during these hard times.
Just this week, on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Molepo by 6am was already on the road, heading to the Pretoria township of Soshanguve, going to do charity work at a special school for learners who are challenged in various aspects of their lives, such a visually and hearing. The school Filadelfia is at Block BB W, Soshanguve – RR South, Soshanguve,. It admits learners with various disabilities from all thenine provinces of the country, including those with the Albinism condition, which affects their eye sight.
Molepo and collaboration a private company and a financial institution presented various gifts to the school on Tuesday.
“This is the partnership that we established in 2016 with Standard Bank. Because of Covid, we then decided to keep the number low for the handover.
The donation this time was, cloth masks, and magnifying glasses. We’d like to encourage those with the ability to assist with sanitary towels, hearing aids, wheelchairs, masks and sanitizers (PPE) to do so.
This is a school for learners with disabilities. MrTshepoMaseko, a teacher at Filadelfia, was helping me facilitate this, we could only speak through texts, since he’s deaf. This made me realize, how important it is to learn sign language. On sight, MrMolala also a teacher at the school was helping me with the interpretation.
An IT company REAH, have come up with an innovative device, that helps interpret sign into voice. This will help the deaf community to express themselves to those who can hear and speak. Imagine how communication will improve if schools, banks, people in general were to invest in these gadgets. I really think that, those who can speak just don’t realize how privileged they are. Check them out onTwitter @Reah_SL and search wearable glasses,” the actor said.
The relation ship between Fats, his equally well known actor gather Arthur Molepo and Filadelfia School’s relationship goes back to 2016, when father and son in the copmapny of executives from Standard Bank made a similar trip to the school in 2016, also to donate sun glasses and caps to the school.
This relationship comes against the back drop of a critically acclaimed touring stage production entitled Mother I want the Black That You are that the son and father team wrote, directed and produced in 2016. The play which highlights the difficulties that people born with the condition of Albinism face in society, such as the ever lingering threat of being killed for muti reasons in communities throughout the African continent, as well as suffering from social discrimination and prejudice, has so far toured the country, to critical acclaim, including performing at Sate Theatre in 2017 and the Joburg Theatre in 2018.
.To view the gadget donated by IT company REAH, that helps interpret sign into voice search www.mbula.co.za
.MphoMolepo can be reached on mprojects.mm@gmail.com for those who would like to donate to FiladelfiaSxhool.