A Gift of Hope: Khayelitsha Good Samaritan lifts blind mother’s burden

Khayelitsha Good Samaritan Thembisa Skaap continues to bring hope and dignity to vulnerable families through her ongoing food parcel donations.

Her latest act of kindness reached Delft, where she came to the aid of a blind mother struggling to make ends meet.

Phumeza Mkiva, a single mother of four, lives with two of her children. She survives well below the breadline and is trapped in debt to loan sharks. With no stable income, she relies largely on handouts from friends and sympathetic community members to feed her family.

After a brain tumour left her blind in 2018, Ms Mkiva’s life changed drastically. Once independent and able to provide for her children’s daily needs, she now faces relentless hardship.

One of her greatest struggles comes every month when she must collect her social grant - an experience that often triggers stress-induced seizures.

“I know that on payday I will get a seizure. I know the reason,” she said.

“I think too deeply about my children and what will happen to them. My money goes straight to loan sharks and rent. I am left with nothing for food. It is painful to have nothing when you once had everything.”

On Tuesday morning, Ms Skaap visited Ms Mkiva’s home to donate food parcels. Ms Mkiva, her two children, and her long-time friend Babalwa Tabata were overwhelmed with relief and gratitude.

“I don’t even know what to say to Mam’uMadlamini for this surprise,” Ms Mkiva said.

“At least this food will last us a month. My children will now go to school happy because they have something to eat.”

Despite the relief, Ms Mkiva remains deeply concerned about her living conditions. The one-room flat she rents is small, unsafe, and located directly opposite a busy main road.

“I am blind, and people passing by can easily take advantage of me,” she said. “I desperately need a place my children can truly call home," adding that when she heard about a blind woman and her children sleeping without food, she couldn't sleep.

“I know rejection. I know poverty. I know what it means to have no one to cry to. That is when I decided I had to do something," said Ms Skaap.

Ms Skaap has since pledged to help Ms Mkiva secure safer accommodation, even if it is only a Wendy house.

“She needs a place of her own. Imagine paying R1 500 rent from a social grant and still having to buy food and clothes. That is why she is drowning in debt. I appeal to anyone who can assist to please come forward.”

Long-time friend, Babalwa Tabata who tirelessly campaigned for her friend, expressed deep gratitude for Ms Skaap’s intervention. She revealed that Ms Mkiva was emotionally broken when she reached out for help.

“She was distraught when she called me. I cried the whole day,” Tabata said. “I had to make calls until someone referred me to Mam’uMadlamini. Phumeza is a dear friend - we met at a school for the blind in 2020. I am thankful that someone listened to a stranger and acted with compassion.”

Ms Skaap and Ms Tabata have since committed to working together to find a permanent and safe home for Mkiva and her children.

To assist, Ms Mkiva contact her on 065 593 7832.

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