The number of families gearing-up for Easter festivities, looking forward to their eats and treats, will be matched by others unsure of where their next meal or treat will be coming from over that long weekend.
With this in mind, members of a well-known social club, Amapantsula Brotherhood, handed 54 food parcels over to needy households.
On Saturday 1 April, club members showed their generosity by handing parcels over at Tsoga Centre in Samora Machel.
As this took place beneficiaries were also treated to entertainment – music and dance.
The Samora Machel-based organisation is made up of men from different communities. It offers support to communities and learners around Cape Town. Its members are recognised by their striking umswenko attires of yesteryear. They contribute towards a fund that is activated whenever the need arises.
The founder and president of the club Mncedisi Sogwangqa said the group, founded in 2014 to showcase and promote the old fashion of isipantsula, saw a need for food parcels, especially in difficult times.
He said since the country had gone into a national lockdown in March 2020, and most families had struggled to make ends meet or had lost their jobs in the aftermath, leaving many hungry stomachs.
Sogwangqa said it presented a very real challenge for the club.
“Many people saw us as amapantsula, people who were showing off their expensive clothes,” he said. “But we decided to change this perception people had about us and to become more involved in the community.”
One of the organisation’s priorities is to root the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) out.
Sogwangqa said it has since established various programmes in different communities. These include taking the children off the streets.
“Part of our mission is to groom young men, amakrwala, to become responsible ones in their families. Sometimes we organise dance competitions for young children just for entertainment. We also identify needy families for donating food parcels to,” He said they had already donated food parcels to families in Khayelitsha.
The group intends to expand its programmes and visit schools to provide sanitary towels and uniforms.
Sogwangqa said the objective is to encourage youth to focus on their lives and move away from such lures as substance abuse and other disruptive behaviours.
He stated young people require role-models in their communities to become better adults in future. “Our children need role models,” Sogwangqa said. “They need people that they will look up to. As parents, we are not good examples to them because of how we conduct ourselves in front of their eyes.”
He urged men to say no to GBV and abusing women and children.
One of the beneficiaries Nondwe Rhalarhala said the food parcel would make a difference. She said it came at the right time, when they were approaching the Easter holidays.
“I appreciate what the brotherhood has done for us. Many people in Samora are unemployed. Some of us are surviving through our children’s social grants or old age grants. We thank the brotherhood and wish that they continue helping other needy people.”