​On Monday, 52-year-old Thobile Motha from Zamane Section in Duduza, Ekurhuleni was showered with loads of gifts by her community, including the local butchery, church, funeral parlour, and Department funded non-profit organisations.
According to Community Development Practitioner, Bonginkosi Ndlala, the Gauteng Department of Social Development Ekurhuleni Region chose the Motha household, which houses 23 family members, to do their duty for 67 Minutes of Nelson Mandela Day.

This follows an assessment that was conducted by Ndlala and his colleague, Assistant Community Development Practitioner, Irene Selekane on the 29 June 2022.

The case was referred by a Pharmacist at the Geluksdal Clinic, where she discovered that the family was living under dire conditions.
Motha, who is the head of the household is unemployed and not yet eligible for Old Age Grant. She is staying with seven (7) of her children aged between 37 and 15 years, her sister, nephews, nieces, and her grandchildren.

“The Department invited various stakeholders to pledge their time and resources to help in aiding the Motha family. We are very happy for the donations we received from local businesses and NPOs that assisted in doing work such as plumbing, plastering, upholstery and carpentry,” said Ndlala.

Speaking to Weekly Bulletin, Motha said she was very happy to receive the gifts, especially the food parcels and blankets that came ahead of a freezing weather.

“We would like to thank everyone who played a role in renovating our house, the local butchery for supplying us with meat and vegetables, and the Gauteng Department of Social Development funded Baikagetse Cooperative for providing school uniform for my grandchildren,” said a sobbing Motha.

The Mandela Day Campaign has indeed renewed the spirit of volunteerism and pledging. It has called on individuals and businesses to take responsibility and change the world for the better.