Helping others is what makes Sly tick

THE popular #I’mStaying facebook page abounds with posts about people making a positive impact on the communities in which they reside.

In Durban, the honour goes to Sly Dube, a Zimbabwean who came to South Africa in August 2012 with his family in search of a better life.

According to Aneesa Vawda who posted the story on the Facebook page, Sly is instead making a difference in the lives of all those he touches.

When Sly, who is part of the KZN Solidarity Movement, which aims to make a difference in different societies, heard about a fire that gutted an Umbilo woman’s home in October 2016 through a friend in the organisation he immediately went to see the homeowner, Shireen Slater.

While he was there he noticed that her tenant’s child had lost her school uniforms in the fire and mobilised to get uniforms donated so that she could still attend school.

“We helped to clean up so that Shireen could rebuild her family home. We spent three weeks clearing the rubble from the house and helped with food donations for the family. It was heartbreaking considering she was a widow and had a daughter and grandchild to take care of,” he said.

It was through his work on Shireen’s house that he met Aneesa, one of Shireen’s neighbours.

“Aneesa saw us working on Shireen’s house and she told us about the cerebral palsy children’s unit at Natal Settlers Home (KZN Care Association) and that she was trying to have the place painted. She invited us to the home to visit, and we did fundraising, helped by Mr Jani, chair of the organisation, and friends at the organisation painted the corridors at the unit,” he said.

READ RELATED: Offers of help pour in after Umbilo home gutted by fire

When Sly’s 10-year-old daughter, Matidaishe Joyce, told him she wanted to celebrate her birthday at school, as some of the children she knew didn’t get to celebrate their birthdays.

“It came into my mind as my birthday approached, that is isn’t so important for me at my age to celebrate my birthday, but it means so much for others, some of whom don’t get to have a party, don’t get presents or even know it’s a special day,” he said.

Sly, who runs a cafe, said he spoke to his employers who agreed to donate refreshments and pastries for him to celebrate his 37th birthday at the cerebral palsy unit.

Aneesa shared the event on Facebook, saying he was a beautiful soul for treating the children, who loved every special moment, and the delicious chocolate cake too.

Her post stated: “#ImStaying because as long as we have good, honorable men like Sly, we will get it right one day. ‘If a man is gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world.’”

Very humbled by this praise, Sly said there is just something in him that makes him want to help others.

“My passion is to be a social worker! If I could get the funding my dream would be to study. There are so many people who need aid, children grow up with no one, there are HIV orphans, children who can’t go to school. People who heard about my birthday celebration asked why I would do this, when I don’t even know these children. They have the wrong mindset. In my heart I have a passion to help people, I think about it every day, and I’m happy that my daughter has inherited that gene! She loved being with the children, hugging them, feeding them, she also loves to make people feel special and loved,” he said.

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