Before school started this year, a family from Masiphumelele were shown a kindness that is part of a groundswell of South African pride.
The I’m Staying Movement on Facebook has a million members, all of whom claim to be dedicated to uniting and growing bonds between the country’s people. Occasionally a member shares an idea which takes off and changes some lives along the way.
The lay-bye idea was one of those; members of the group were challenged to anonymously pay off a total stranger’s lay-byes to ease another family’s financial woes and ensure that their children are prepared for school.
Michael Ndlovu is part of the group but never dreamt it would touch him. But it did.
“Somewhere in Sun Valley is an anonymous angel,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu and his wife have four children. Their eldest daughter is 16 and attends Ocean View Secondary School, their 14-year-old son is schooled in the
Eastern Cape and the two youngest boys are 9 and 6 years of age and attend Star of the Sea Convent Primary.
The couple went shopping on Monday January 13 to Checkers in Sun Valley for school stationery for their children.
“We had R1 300 on us, but when we got to the teller, we realised we were short of cash,” Mr Ndlovu said.
“We bought what we could and asked the cashier to please keep the rest aside while we went to get the rest of the money,” he said.
Behind the couple in the queue was a woman who had watched the whole event unfold.
When the couple returned an hour later, their cashier greeted them with the happy news that their goods had already been paid for.
She said the woman in the queue behind them paid for everything they left behind.
“The white lady who had been behind us paid the whole R560 that was owed. And she told the cashier she didn’t want us to have her number or details; so she didn’t want our thanks or to be repaid,” Mr Ndlovu said.
The couple are absolutely amazed and expressed their
heart felt gratitude to this anonymous person. They don’t know if she is part of the I’m Staying group or if she acted entirely of her own volition, but they are counting her and her kind gesture, as the reason they are staying.
His story on the group brought 10 000 comments of appreciation. NduLinda Zaza wrote: “I think utata uRholihlahla if he was still alive he would join this group and appreciate every effort done by members to keep smiling.”
Lerato Visser wrote: “May she be blessed.”
Bronwen Smith wrote: “What an amazing story” while Elizabeth Eekhout wrote: “Another hero in our midst.”
Val Iffland Otte wrote: “A lesson for me. You are blessed.”
Thabang Nkwinika summed it up like many others did when she wrote: “Angel in human form May God bless her.”