Portrait of social worker Phindile Mncwabe – A woman with a heart for her community

Oct 2025: Phindile (54 years) is the founder and director of Siyaphila Community Care Services, the township project in Haniville, South Africa, which we have been supporting for many years. In this interview, she talks about her work, her most memorable moments, and the major challenges she faces in her everyday life.

Phindile is mother of two adult children, and proud grandmother of two granddaughters. She also lives in Haniville, a township near Pietermaritzburg that is marked by unemployment and poverty. But despite all the difficulties, she works tirelessly and passionately to help others..

Together with her team at Siyaphila, she supports families in urgent need of help: “We take care of people who need school uniforms, help them apply for ID cards or grants, and accompany them to the hospital or government offices,” she explains.

The name Siyaphila comes from Zulu and means “We are well.” With this name, Phindile wants to give people in the township hope — hope that things can get better if we are there for each other. Phindile experiences her most beautiful moments when she sees the smiles on people's faces: “The joy of families when they receive a food parcel or a new school uniform is indescribable. Without us, many would not even have anything to eat.”

But there are also major challenges. There is a constant shortage of new sponsors, and rising prices in South Africa are making the work increasingly difficult. “Sometimes people come to my house and give false information just to get help,” she says thoughtfully. “This is particularly difficult because we want to offer support to those who are truly most in need.”

Phindile herself has experienced hard times: she had to drop out of school in 11th grade when she became pregnant with her son, and later lost her job when her employer ran into financial difficulties. But her passion for working with people has always been there. “My years as a social worker taught me so much – about life, people's worries, but also their strength,” she says.

She also leads an active private life: in her free time, she tends to the large community garden of the township project, looks after her grandchildren, identifies families in need for support the following month, and compares supermarket prices to optimise the use of donations. Every month, she carefully documents how many people have received food parcels, clothing or transport assistance, and regularly reports on the progress of her project with pictures.

Despite all the adversity — from high unemployment in Haniville to daily power cuts and limited water supplies — Phindile refuses to give up.

“Helping others is my passion. And as long as I can, I will be there for the people in my community.”

Phindile's latest initiative was a winter donation campaign for the children in two kindergartens in the township to help the little ones get through the South African winter. With sparkling eyes and laughter in their hearts, the children immediately tried on their colorful, warm tracksuits – a moment full of joy and gratitude.

A heartfelt thank you to all our supporters. With your help, we are able to give warmth, comfort, and a little bit of hope.

Colorful autumn greetings from your Siyabonga board