Last founding member of Ekurhuleni old age home dies
She was hospitalized for a week before she passed away on July 23, at the age of 87.
The founder and stalwart of Vosloorus Old Age Home, Stephina Matlakala Nkosi Dhlamini (87), has passed on.
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According to her granddaughter Nthabiseng Nkobeng, she suffered a mild stroke in the middle of the night while she was at the home, where she lived.
She was hospitalised for a week before she passed away on July 23.
Dhlamini was laid to rest on July 30. The proceeding was held at her church, St. Boniface Anglican Church in Vosloorus.
The family said the passing of Dlhamini left wounds in many people’s hearts, more so church members and people who knew her through her work in the community.
Dhlamini is the firstborn of three daughters. She was born in Benoni but moved to Vosloorus.
She got married to Sam Choc Dhlamini in 1992, and they had one daughter Nancy Motsepe, the mother of Nkobeng and Lebo Nyakale.
After moving to Vosloorus she worked at Nickle Chrome together with her husband. They worked for years until the company had to shut down.
Touching lives
Dlhamini is described as an ambitious woman, full of love and a heart of gold for elderly people.
Her love and care for the community date back to when she was still employed, spending her earnings on needy community members.
According to Nkobeng, her grandmother started with a soup kitchen when she visited the social grant pay point where she feed the elderly bread and soap.
She became more committed to the project after leaving her job in 1984, although it was challenging due to a lack of sponsors.
However, she continued serving the community until the kitchen drew interest and the community started to support it.
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When it continued to grow she found a suitable place at Nguni Hall where she served the elderly two or three times a week.
Through her work, she was able to meet with businessmen and women like Scotty, one of the prominent funeral parlours in Vosloorus, among others.
Nkobeng said those are the people her grandmother started having conversations with regarding the initiation of VOAH.
She saw the need for an old-aged home after she discovered that elderly people are destitute, vulnerable and abused.
After meeting with various stakeholders and businesspeople they realised the need to start a project to build a home.
In the early eighties, Dlhamini went door to door, calling meetings and inviting councillors and the mayor Xulu.
Fortunately, the project became a success and the community contributed immensely.
In 1989 the idea came to fruition after stakeholders assisted
Dlhamini to build a small structure, which started as a women’s hostel at Sotho Section, Vosloorus.
It was later converted into the Vosloorus Society for Care of the Aged, under the care of Dlhamini, registered with the Department of Social Development.
The centre created job opportunities for the people of Kathorus and Dlhamini, ensuring it operated smoothly as she often went out to seek sponsors.
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According to her granddaughter, it was not an easy task but because of Dlhamini’s passion, it succeeded.
During the nineties, she started Khayalethu Service Centre (KSC) to keep elderly citizens active, more so for those retired who spent most of their time at home doing nothing.
They conducted activities like sports, choir and travelling among other things.
Dlhamini was the coordinator, organiser and mentored everyone she worked closely with.
She retired in 2019 from both VOAH and KSC at the age of 84. After her retirement, her health started deteriorating until she became a resident of VOAH.
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Nkobeng said she wants her grandmother to be remembered as someone who cared for the community.
She said Dlhamini was the last living founder of the VOAH.
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