Langa donated food parcels with the help of Imbumba Foundation to 100 households, targeting the unemployed, orphans, elderly people and child-headed homes. With the focus of food donations in townships and urban areas, the maskandi muso, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years, wanted to keep his village eating during the national lockdown.
“I know this issue of lockdown is difficult to all people, those who are unemployed and those who survive through the grant,” Langa said. “I have noticed myself that food does not last long because kids and everyone is at home. I realised that for people who are unemployed it must be really difficult.
“I reached out and got Imbumba to assist me in helping the community. Working together with the traditional leader this was possible. When we delivered the food parcels I was so touched when I saw some of them crying tears of joy. As people who also support me as a musician I felt that I had to do something to help the situation.”
Founder of Imbumba Foundation, Richard Mabaso, said the donation in Ulundi was part of its programme called Soap for Hope. Mabaso, the man behind the Track4Mandela initiative, said before the country went on a national lockdown they had already began collecting sanitisers that will be donated to disadvantaged people. Since the coronavirus outbreak, Imbumba Foundation has donated 9,000 food parcels all over South Africa.
“We set ourselves a target to collect tons of litres of hand sanitisers, and food parcels to be given to elderly people, orphans, vulnerable, and child-headed households in informal settlements, townships and rural areas,” he said.
“We decided to partner with Thokozani Langa because he has been promoting his culture and where he comes from. We have been following him and we realised that he has been doing a lot for his community. We were willing to work with him because he is doing this for his village. We have also been working with traditional leaders who assist in identifying people who are in need of the food parcels. We are also going to be donating food parcels this week in Pongola and a village in Venda.”