SASKO Bakeries – Gauteng Cluster Lead, Ngange Ngxiki; Deputy Director Sports and Enrichment Department of Basic Education, Potledi Ngoepe; SASKO Senior Brand Manager, Thandolwethu Madliki; PepsiCo Corporate Affairs Director Nico Moloto; and Education Psychologist Dr Sibusiso Ntshangase at Ikaneng Combined School in Soweto to celebrate the SASKO Siyasizana’s 1 000 playgrounds milestone.

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In a period of just two years, SASKO’s Siyasizana Play Better initiative congregated at Ikaneng Primary School in Soweto to mark a milestone of 1 000 playgrounds upgrades at early childhood development centres and primary schools across the country.

PepsiCo South Africa’s chief marketing officer Vilosha Soni described the milestone as speaking to the power of purpose and collective action that has led to the upgraded of the 1 000 playgrounds across the country that now provide safe and engaging play spaces to more than one million children.
 
A special Mandela Day activation was held at Ikaneng Primary School as a celebration to mark the milestone. The school forms one of the many schools uplifted through the Siyasizana initiative.
 
A special edition loaf made up of 1 000 slices was unveiled as a symbolic gesture celebrating both the milestone and late President Nelson Mandela’s vision for a better South Africa. The loaf was used to prepare sandwiches for the children of Ikaneng, which included the local NGO that supports feeding initiatives for learners in the community.
 
“SASKO believes every child deserves the right to play, to be safe, and to feel like they matter,” Soni said, adding: “These playgrounds represent more than structures — they are symbols of dignity and hope.”
 
Buco’s group marketing executive Lesego Moagi said the company understands that real impact happens when spaces that enable children to thrive are created. “We’ve seen how the absence of safe, functional infrastructure continues to hold learners back, particularly in the foundation years where care, safety, and stimulation matter most.”
 
The initiative’s long-term vision is to reach five million children by 2030 in the hope of turning play into a right, not a privilege. This is what putting Care into action looks like, Soni said.