A Gqeberha NGO that was burgled in 2020 saw its luck turn recently when the department of sport, recreation, arts and culture donated sewing machines to the organisation to end off the Women’s Month celebrations.
Five sewing machines and five overlockers were handed over to the Siyazingca Social Group during an event in Daku Township on Thursday.
Arts and culture MEC Fezeka Nkomonye, head of department Sibongile Mpofu, and sport, recreation, arts and culture portfolio committee chair MPL Tamara Xhanti attended the event.
The Siyazingca Social Group was established in 2007.
In 2015, it was registered as a non-profit organisation. It now operates from a container in Daku Township.
All its members are disabled; some are blind or partially blind, or have physical disabilities.
The organisation has 25 active members who work from Monday to Thursday producing a range of items including leather belts, bible covers, key holders, pillows and pillowcases, beadwork and more.
According to its members, the project lost its equipment during a burglary in April 2020 during the hard lockdown.
Siyazingca Social Group organiser Bukelwa Kolisi-George said without their machinery it been a battle to keep the project going.
“They took everything last year. As a result we decided to tighten the security, but we are thankful for the machinery. Now we can produce more products,” Kolisi-George said.
She said since the burglary, their 20 members had been forced to take turns with sewing, resulting in many of them not meeting their targets.
Treasurer Veliswa Ndevu, 65, who is visually impaired, said she was extremely grateful for the donation and that they could now keep the project alive.
Themba Mzantsi, a disability forum executive member, said she had witnessed, first hand, the love that the recipients had for their project.
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