Following its donation to the Wits University-based Masidleni daily student meal scheme in 2017, the South African Student Solidarity Foundation for Education (SASSFE) again made a donation to the programme in the first half of 2018.

 

The Masidleni programme, which is managed by the Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach (WCCO) project, provides daily lunches, free of charge, to about 1000 students in need, based both at the Wits East Campus and at the university’s Education Campus.

 

In each of the years, 2017 and 2018, the SASSFE Trustees decided to allocate to the Masidleni programme R250 000 of the funds that had been raised by SASSFE from the donations of Wits Alumni.

 

The Masidleni programme provides a vital service to students who experience the indignity of hunger on campus and the SASSFE Trustees – Archbishop Thabo Makgoba (who serves as chairperson), Retired Justice Richard Goldstone, Supreme Court of Appeal Justice Azhar Cachalia and UCT Vice Chancellor, Prof Mmamokgethi Phakeng – decided that it was important to continue to support the programme.

 

Alumni fundraising efforts

 

“In addition to a large number of regular individual donations by Wits alumni, SASSFE’s fundraising effort this year was boosted by alumnus Thandeka Gqubule’s generous donation of the proceeds of her book No Longer Whispering to Power: The story of Thuli Madsonsela,” says Tiego Moseneke, chairperson of the SASSFE Management Committee.

 

“Thandeka’s book has recently been nominated for the prestigious Alan Paton award for best South African non-fiction book of the year.  This is a most fitting tribute to Thandeka for her writing as well as for her generosity,” enthuses Moseneke.

 

Karuna Singh who heads the WCCO and manages the Masidleni programme welcomed the donation from SASSFE which “contributes just over 12% of the programme’s overall running costs of about R2m a year, with the rest of the funds being provided by the university and other donors.”

 

The Wits Masidleni programme has recently moved from the basement of the Students Union Building to a more scenic location, known as the Sanctuary, on the Wits East Campus. The Sanctuary is based on the northern part of the East Campus, near to the Bozzoli complex, in between the campus cricket and rugby fields.

 

To donate to SASSFE – please visit the site www.sassfe.org.za and click on the contribute button.