Gogo Frieda Selekolo receives a blanket from Divine Transformation's Balram Chetty

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A feast awaited many of the residents of Matholesville

Handing out plates of food

Warm gifts for city's poor IT WAS a time for singing and dancing in Matholesville, when the elderly and the orphans were given blankets and food. July 20, 2005 By Ndaba Dlamini and Mamello Makgana FOR Gogo Frieda Selekolo, Tuesday, 19 July is an unforgettable day. On that day the Divine Transformation Group visited Matholesville, an informal settlement west of Johannesburg, bringing blankets and food for the impoverished residents. The Matholesville Community Centre was buzzing as people from Matholesville, Leratong, Plot 8 and Sol Plaatjie informal settlements sang, danced and ate, thanks to the gifts from Divine Transformation, a religious organisation dedicated to helping the needy. Beneficiaries, including orphans, the aged and the sickly, were identified by the City of Johannesburg's social services department, with the department's Noxolo Qubeka accepting a consignment of blankets on behalf of the residents. "The 300 beneficiaries were identified after investigations were done by the social services department to determine who should qualify," said Qubeka. "Initially we had targeted Matholesville residents but decided to spread our wings to other informal settlements." The residents, however, got more than they had expected: a feast awaited them at the centre, with members of Divine Transformation dishing out plates of food. Residents living close to the centre joined in as word spread. Balram Chetty, spiritual head of Divine Transformation, said the aim of the group was to establish spiritual unity among people through love. "We give gifts of love. We also give out gifts of food, clothes, blankets and toys to the needy. We aim to involve business people so they can expand to something greater." Priscilla Mpemnyama, the operations manager for social services, said the department appreciated the group's efforts, especially during winter. "Our department has a major task in looking after the needy. We have programmes to empower women and develop the youth, especially those living in informal settlements. There are also facilities that teach parents about caring for their children from toddlers to school-going age." The elderly Selekolo lives alone in a shack in Matholesville. She is grateful for the blanket and food. "We live in poverty. There are no jobs available but sometimes the community centre comes to our rescue. We manage to bake cakes and sew some clothes for sale." Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za