Zama Mbele, a Durban University of Technology (DUT) alumna aims to uplift the youth of Sweetwaters, in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands through her organisation named Silwelwa Inguquko Youth Group that was established in June 2018.
The organisation’s aim is to bring change and elevate the community of Sweetwaters by encouraging the youth and senior members to live a healthy lifestyle through different sports and activities, discover and showcase their talent, working together to fight poverty while fulfilling their dreams and goals.
Silwelwa Inguquko Youth Group is situated in Pietermaritzburg, Sweetwaters eNadi. It consists of five executives and twelve senior full-time members. Mbele is the Chairperson of the organisation and is a Bachelor of Education degree graduate.
“My vision is to try and create a safe space for young people, job opportunities and to keep them occupied with activities that will help each one become a better person. My qualification has assisted me vastly to improve on my communication skills. We are currently trying to introduce ways of assisting with tutorials and instill the importance of education to the youth,” said Mbele
She further highlighted that throughout the years the organisation and other stakeholders has managed to donate food parcels, hosted educational programmes, received sponsorship from Albany and won a variety of prizes from Igagasi FM and many more.
“I am very passionate about sports and grateful for the stakeholders such as Dlalanathi, Jaama and the Gay & Lesbian Network known as ‘Uthingo Network’ who have been assisting to plan successful events, exposing and ensuring that our organisation connects with new stakeholders. COVID-19 has affected many and our organisation managed to assist with food parcels and that meant a lot to us,” she added.
Mbele explained that the organisation works close with the community members, leaders, council schools and clinics. She also mentioned that they were able to open gardens at schools and to less fortunate families.
“Our organisation normally host events on weekends where the children play different activities such as sports, and other indigenous games and that alone keeps them away from the street and minimises the possibilities of doing bad things such as stealing, drugs, and many more. We simply want harmony and well-behaved children that will grow up with a better future,” explained Mbele.
When advising the youth of South Africa, Mbele said that it is important to dream big, work hard to make sure that they reach their goals, accept disappointments and be always willing to learn and grow.
Pictured: Silwela Inguquko at Mbanjwa Primary School, Fun Day Celebration.
Zanele Mashaba
