World Vision’s Pleasure to Work with MaMbeki- an Activist for Social Upliftment

World Vision in Mbashe has the honour of actively working with the mother of former president Thabo Mbeki and the wife to the struggle veteran Govan Mbeki, mama Nomaka Mbeki. At the age of 97, mamMbeki is still going strong, lending her old hands to help fellow villagers and vulnerable children in Ngcingwane, outside Idutywa - in the Eastern side of South Africa. When World Vision visited her home, she was chatting with the women from the sewing project, run from her home. She still walks well and enjoys good sight and memory, but is not keen on talking to the press. However, she agreed to open doors for World Vision – her partners in development as she puts it.

This unassuming, remarkable woman has made great sacrifices for the liberation and the advancement of the oppressed in South Africa, and continues to be an inspiration to many. “I grew up in a home where the ‘do it yourself’ concept was a daily practice. My mother was very passionate about community development and I think I took after her”, said MamMbeki. She could have lived out her old age in the comfort of official residences in Cape Town or Pretoria. But that is a far-fetched idea for this advocate - making a difference in ordinary people’s life has made her to remain in the dusty Ngcingwane village to this day. “I can never survive in that environment, my body is very much used to this up and down”, she says with a smile.

After her husband was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial and her three sons had gone into exile, Mrs Mbeki remained focused. It was a time of deep trauma and hardship, as she attempted to make a living from her shop while enduring unspeakable harassment from the then authorities. What kept her going then, and what keeps her going now, is her steadfast belief in community development, as well as her faith in self-help projects as a means towards social and economic advancement.

Mbeki has worked tirelessly to bring quality secondary schooling to her district. Her efforts towards ensuring quality education for the rural children have been rewarded with the establishment of a technical school named after her. She has organised the women of her village into a highly motivated craft and beadwork co-operative called Khanyisa (which means light). A poultry project that she established with another group is also doing well.

In partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture, World Vision’s aim is to take these projects to greater heights. The organization is in a process to source markets for these products, so that these families are able to generate reasonable income for the benefit of children. Surely MamaMbeki has something common with World Vision – she is Inspired to see No children without basic needs in her community.