A 10-year-old girl from Phumlani Location, in Extension 2, received a wheelchair after her father wrote to his favourite radio station, asking for a donation for his paraplegic daughter.
A 10-year-old girl from Phumlani Location, in Extension 2, received a wheelchair after her father wrote to his favourite radio station, asking for a donation for his paraplegic daughter.
Simphiwe Mali, 36, who is unemployed, wrote the four-page letter on 28 April 28 and addressed it to Umhlobo Wenene FM's Thursday morning religion show, Lelika Yehova Ihlabathi kunye Nenzaliseko Yalo (The World belongs to God, including its inhabitants), explaining his plight.
For the past 10 years little Emihle has been relying on her mother to carry her around. But after show host Nomthunzi Vuza read the letter on air, a good Samaritan from Johannesburg responded and bought the wheelchair.
The wheelchair was handed over at the family's home – a prefabricated structure donated to them by the municipality after their home collapsed earlier this year.
Umhlobo Wenene FM programme manager Phumzile Nteyi handed over the R2 300 wheelchair on behalf of the station and the donor.
Nteyi said they had planned the event so it could coincide with Madiba's birthday month, because it was Mandela who had always encouraged South Africans to show ubuntu.
Among the celebrity line-up of DJs from Umhlobo Wenene fm were Lulu Hermans and Elvis Mali, both of whom started off their careers at Radio Grahamstown.
The event was a moving service with close to 80 people singing hymns, reading from the scriptures and giving testimonies.
Radio Grahamstown Gospel host, Reverend Phango, led the ceremony.
Council speaker Rachel Madinda Isaacs was present, as well including the area's ward councillor, Nomhle Ngoqo.
Dad Simphiwe was very emotional. He stood up and thanked the anonymous donor, as well as his neighbours attending the ceremony. Those attending were so moved that they too dug into their pockets and handed over money.
S'bongile James, host of educational programmes at the station took out R1 000 from her pocket and gave it to the family.
Weeping, she said, said "We might be celebrities to you, but we're still human beings. Things like these affect us because we come from areas like this and we know these situations."
This weekend the entire station line-up will descend on Grahamstown to do their shows from the City of Saints.
