Margaret Ngcanga could not hold back her tears as she was named Citizen of the Year at a gala dinner at Settlers' Monument on Saturday. She was awarded the title ahead of three other nominees. Judges felt that while the other projects were impressive, her Home of Joy, which houses abandoned and neglected children from birth to 17 years, stood out from the rest.
Margaret Ngcanga could not hold back her tears as she was named Citizen of the Year at a gala dinner at Settlers' Monument on Saturday. She was awarded the title ahead of three other nominees. Judges felt that while the other projects were impressive, her Home of Joy, which houses abandoned and neglected children from birth to 17 years, stood out from the rest.
Ngcanga's project started in 1995 when she took in a newborn baby whose teen mom could not care for the child.
Today, helping her take care of the 19 children at the home are Constance Mandabana and Ntombekhaya Ngcangca. To keep the project moving, Ngcanga relies mostly on Rhodes University, DSG, Pick n Pay and various churches.
“Winning this award has fuelled me to work harder. I thank God for giving me strength to run this ministry – because to me this is not a business, it is a ministry. I hope to help a lot more children who come from severely challenged homes, because there are lot of children like that in Makana,” Ngcanga told Grocott’s Mail, wiping away her tears. Accompanying the title of Citizen of the Year is a R5 000 cheque from the Rotary Club, who organise and sponsor the award. All nominees also received R1 000 cheques donated by Nalithemba Hospitals – the entity under which the public-private partnerships in hospitals across the country, including Settlers', fall. Other major sponsors of the event were the GBS Mutual Bank, Pick n Pay and Netcare.
Also nominated for the title were Jai Clifford-Holmes. His Galela Amanzi project has seen rainwater tanks being installed in disadvantaged areas of Grahamstown, providing water for irrigating community vegetable gardens, cooking and drinking, as well as keeping schools open when there are water-supply problems.
Xola Mali, social activist, self-taught film maker and photographer was nominated for teaching pupils from various schools photography skills after school hours. What made his work notable, his nominees said, was the fact that he had no back-up funding, nor equipment of his own. Instead, his interaction with relevant stakeholders made it possible for him to borrow equipment.
The last nominee was the Grahamstown High Court Action Committee, which has kept up a sustained campaign of information and publicity regarding the disastrous consequences of the proposal to move the high court to Bisho. The committee’s actions, after direct engagement with the minister of justice persuaded the authorities to abandon the proposal. The removal of the high court would have meant the loss of jobs for thousands of people and a blow to crucial local revenue.
Dr Kenneth Ngcoza, last year's Citizen of the year, congratulated the nominees and the winner, saying, “What makes you different from the other people is not what you have, but what you have done with what you have.
“This does not mean you should become complacent, it simply means work harder than you have before. Congratulations to all of you for making it thus far,” he said.
Ngcoza's award last year was for outstanding effort in promoting mathematics and science education in community based organisations.
Anton Voster, President of the Rotary Club, said the organisation was extremely proud to be associated with the Citizen of the Year award and congratulated the nominees and the winner for their outstanding work. “To me you are all winners,” said Anton.
