By Buziwe Nocuze
Gogo Siphokazi Dlisani has become a source of hope for many desperately hungry people on the streets of Mfuleni township near Cape Town.
Every day, Gogo Dlisani cooks for people who collect and sell scrap and recyclable materials and those who are looking for work.
“One day I was going to the mall and I saw a group of men carrying building tools. They were waiting for anyone who might need a gardener or a painter,” said Gogo Dlisani.
“I decided I had to do something.”
She started the Isipho Sabantu community kitchen in 2022 after she met a young boy while walking her granddaughter to school.
“He was carrying a plastic bag with cold drink cans and he dropped it on the ground and started crying,” she said.
The boy told her the person who usually bought his cans was not there.
“I asked how much he was getting and he said R3. Luckily I had R5 which I gave to him. That’s when I realised that many people are struggling and need help,” Gogo Dlisani said.
“I got up at 4.30am and started preparing the meals. By 8.30am I went to those looking for employment next to the robots and dished out food for them. Then I ran back home and prepared to dish at 10.30am for those at the scrapyard.”
Initially, Gogo Dlisani made food for less than 50 people, but soon the number increased as news of her kitchen spread.
She cooks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and makes sandwiches for children on Saturdays.
Gogo Dlisani relies on kind-hearted sponsors and is “grateful to everyone who makes donations”.
“There are times when I don’t get anything and then I use the money that was meant to buy things for my house.”
She said many people depend on her and she doesn’t want to disappoint them.
Namhla Mtshiba, a resident of Mfuleni, is grateful to Gogo Dlisani.
“I pray that she continues to get sponsors. To do what she’s doing needs someone with a pure heart — someone who knows how difficult it is to not have anything to eat,” said Namhla.
“Sometimes I feel sorry for her, especially on weekends. We go and get sandwiches at her home even though we know Saturdays are for kids, but she doesn’t refuse us.”
Pictured above: Gogo Siphokazi Dlisani from Mfuleni cooks for the less fortunate in the area to make sure no one goes hungry.
Image source: Supplied
