The Carling Black Label Class of Its Own

Bridging the gap on adult education

"For me to decide to go back to school, I wanted to empower myself."

Visit the Class of Its Own campaign on forgood...

These are the words of renowned saxophonist and South African music legend Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse, who completed his Matric at the age of 60. For a lot of men in South Africa, the achievement of a Matric qualification is a dream they have long put to rest. It is a mind battle between going back to school to equip oneself for a better tomorrow or living in the reality of today, to make sure their families are provided for, with the little they have. For obvious reasons, many men have chosen the latter.

This year alone, the unemployment rate has increased to over 30%, putting millions of men in the very hard position of trying to provide for themselves or their families with no means to do so.

According to Stats SA, there are more than 9 million men over the age of 20 in South Africa that do not have a Matric qualification. When combined with the fact that on average, an applicant for a job competes with 91 other candidates, this paints a very dark picture for men looking to improve their situation in life. The South African gap in adult education makes having a Matric qualification almost the lowest barrier to join the workforce.

This is what Arne Rust, Carling Black Label Brand Director, had to say.

At Carling Black Label, we exist to reward and recognise the champion within and we believe that we as South Africans have gold inside. Gold that needs to be refined through hard work and perseverance. To assist, we have initiated a new way to empower and support Champion men in achieving their dreams.

The initiative was launched at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown Johannesburg on Thursday, 12 November, one week after the matric class of 2020 started writing exams. At the launch, Carling Black Label put down an empty desk, each desk representing 10,000 men without Matric. This field of 948 empty desks was aimed at shining a light on the challenge that adult education poses for the men of South Africa.

Rust shed some light on the campaign and the partners involved.

The brand will be partnering with College SA, an outstanding adult distance learning organisation, that will help us put 32 South African men of different ages, from all over South Africa, from different walks of life, through Matric.

After the launch, Carling Black Label donated the desks to the Utolo Trust to be distributed to places of learning that don’t have the infrastructure they need. The launch was led by a few campaign advocates to inspire men around the country to complete their studies.

Siboniso Gaxa, the former Kaizer Chiefs defender who obtained his degree in Political Sciences, discussed how education is a great tool, regardless of what you intend on pursuing. He also spoke about how many other things in life can be taken away but not your education and skills.

Another spokesperson for the launch was Phumudzo Manenzhe, the former Orlando Pirates striker who obtained his diploma after playing professional football. Phumudzo discussed how important finishing school was to his father when he was growing up and how his success after football is largely due to his continuous focus on bettering himself through education.

As a brand that constantly looks for innovative ways to inspire and recognize the Champion in their consumers, Carling Black Label will continue assisting, upskilling and rewarding men who are determined to reach for the gold within and uplift their communities.

If you would like to support the Class of Its Own campaign, you can donate towards tuition and tutoring:

Bank Name: FNB // Account Name: Forgood Social Network PTY (LTD) Account Number: 627 1739 5942 // Branch Code: 250805 Reference: CLASS 2020

Disclaimer: 100% of donations received will be transferred to College SA to manage this project. No 18A certificates will be issued for donations.