They've seen what kind of damage the pandemic has done to people. Some have lost jobs, others businesses and the poor have gotten more poor.
So The River actress Lunathi Mampofu and her sisters, Uhuru Mampofu and Tankiso Mampofu-Usedo, and family friends Nozipho Miza-Sipunzi and Vuyo Bikitsha decided to put their resources together to make a difference.
Nozipho says while at a salon in Cape Town years ago she saw a notice about a girl needing underwear and it shocked her, but she moved on.
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Years later she found herself in a situation where a young woman shared that she needed underwear and she remembered the salon notice.
“I then realised that not everyone can be in a position to ask for help from those around them, like the young woman did. And so a desire to help the less fortunate came alive,” she says.
Uhuru says, individually, they have been helping the needy in different ways. But this year they had decided to pool their resources to try and make an even bigger impact.
“People need help and I believe that whenever you are in a position to help you should do so. What may seem like a small gesture of kindness to you can be a life-altering moment of hope for the next person,” she says.
An unstable economy, harsh winter weather and the effects of Covid-19 have added a huge amount of pressure on the homeless and families who were already struggling financially before the pandemic, says Tankiso.
“Covid-19 has really worsened things for everyone,” she says.
“Yes the economic challenge is not unique to South Africa right now. But things were not great even pre Covid-19. Families are struggling to make ends meet and even the basics they could barely afford are now suddenly too expensive," she tells Drum.
"So, really, all of us need to lend a hand. We must all get involved in helping those in need. If middle-class families are struggling now, how much more those that are homeless? Covid-19 has affected every sector and we can all see the domino effect. We need to get to the root of the problem."
As a celebrity, Lunathi says she believes she has a great responsibility to society.
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“We are blessed to be influential in people’s lives, so why not use that influence for good?" she asks.
“People will see a jacket I wear on The River or shoes I post on Instagram and DM me about where I got them because they want them too. So if I can influence people to be kind and do good towards others, then that is a win for me. This is easy for me to do because I can relate to people’s struggles.”
Vuyo adds that he wants to be a change agent and role model for young men. “Society is imbalanced in that children are brought up in different ways, yet they are expected to grow up and live harmoniously," he says. "Society expects boys to have lots of girlfriends or they get called names. But if girls have lots of boyfriends then they get called all sorts of ugly things. We really need to do better as a society."
Since July this year, the friends and sisters have been collecting food and clothing item for distribution to the needy. They go out to look for sponsorships or use their own money to help others and Lunathi says they want to do more.
“As a group we are currently based in three provinces," says Lunathi.
"Our hope is for us to have contacts in every province so that we can reach more people."
