Mohlakeng community assists residents’ clothing campaign
"Just seeing people happy and leaving with warm clothes makes me sleep peacefully at night.''
Tidimalo Ngakane, a 29-year-old Good Samaritan from Mohlakeng is running a clothing campaign to clothe those less fortunate across Rand West City.
She said this campaign started in the first week of May after two young children had come to her house asking for warm clothes.
“On 1 May I was doing laundry outside when a 13-year-old girl and her younger sister asked for warm clothes. I then asked her where her parents were. She told me she was an orphan,” she said.
Ngakane said this ripped her heart to pieces. At that moment, she said, she felt helpless.
“Extremely saddened by their situation, I started thinking, ‘What about other kids who are in the same situation?’ My husband advised me to create a Facebook page and ask for clothes for these disadvantaged kids.
I loved the idea and ran with it. Today, the page has more than 7 000 members.
“I get calls from people saying I should come and collect clothes from their homes,” she explained.
However, it is challenging for her to pick up the donated clothes and deliver them to where they are needed. So far, Tidimalo has distributed clothes to Zenzele and surrounding extensions, with the Mohlakeng scrap yard and Mohlakeng hostel up next.
“I am passionate about helping people. Just seeing people happy and leaving with warm clothes makes me sleep peacefully at night. God’s grace gives me strength to keep pushing, and of course my darling husband keeps on motivating me,” she concluded.
