Club to continue raising funds to build cancer care home

Tsietsi Lephokwane, the founder of Impumelelo Fitness Club, said that although the death of Thulani Nxele to rectal cancer in December stalled their fundraising drive to build a centre for cancer patients in Cloverdene, they are still forging ahead with their plans.

Lephokwane told the Benoni City Times last November that they planned to build a cancer care home after noticing no such facility in their area.

He said Nxele’s passing was a blow, adding that it happened when their fundraising efforts were gaining momentum.

“We are still raising funds to build the centre. We were distracted by the death of one of our pioneers, Thulani Nxele. But we are not giving up,” he said.

He said it took them months to come to terms with Nxele’s passing, and they felt they should use their annual cancer awareness day on October 7 in his honour.

“This year, we felt we must first honour Thulani. From January, we will continue our plans. Last year, we did the event in November, but this year, we chose to host it in October, in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month to highlight the effects of mental illness.”

According to Lephokwane, Nxele played a critical role in creating awareness for cancer and was actively involved in encouraging community members, particularly men, to have regular screenings.

Although Lephokwane started this initiative six years ago, he said Nxele’s activism and drive fuelled his fire, adding that they had identified several sites for the centre.

“Our plans still stand. We have engaged Ward 24 Clr Nicola da Silva to assist us with a site. There are a few vacant areas in Cloverdene we want to use. We wanted this year’s event to pass so we can continue with our plans from January.”

The aerobics instructor said the centre would offer patients privacy to talk about their conditions openly and without fear of judgement or stigma.

“In every event we organise, we invite healthcare professionals like nurses to motivate our people to get checked. We’ve realised that most people don’t want to test in public.

“Even now, we have people battling various diseases, but they are afraid to talk because of the stigma. In our centre, it will be different. We want to make it as friendly as possible. We’ll have counsellors and professionals to assist our patients,” he said.

To help the club raise funds, call Lephokwane on 084 738 9476 or Precious Nxele on 073 099 5556.

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