Local Heroes

In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when many families were struggling to put food on the table, Vuyisa Mnyabiso started the God is Able Feeding Centre in Mdantsane.

Growing up in rural Elliotdale, Nasizo Mndende became used to being mocked for her dark complexion and appearance.

The date was August 23 2014 and former South African two-division boxing champion Sikhulule Sidzumo was taking a beating from Nkululeko Mhlongo during a tournament at Bhisho Stadium near Qonce.

For more than two decades, Irma Joubert has devoted her life to children who have nowhere else to go.

For the past seven years, legal professional Bridgette Beetge-Magnus has dedicated much of her time to supporting intellectually impaired residents at the McClelland Adult Centre in Amalinda.

Nominations have opened for the 12th annual Daily Dispatch Local Heroes Awards, which celebrate everyday people who are making a real difference in their communities through selfless acts of service and care.

For 33-year-old Mandilakhe Lufundo, theatre is more than performance — it is a way to change lives. Through his nonprofit company Tears of the Creatives, founded in 2022, he uses the stage to give hope to children living with disabilities, and those from

In the heart of Reeston, a group of nurses is proving that healing a community takes more than medicine.

When a yacht sank off East London’s coast, veterinarian Peter Wood thought he was simply helping to care for a rescued dog. He did not expect to end up in a bureaucratic fight for its life.

Shaped by her late mother’s quiet generosity, Rochelle de Klerk, 63, has carried that spirit into the heart of her community one bowl of soup at a time.

Former Transvaal rugby captain Graham Noonan has traded professional stadiums for rural fields, and he is using that shift to change lives.

Nolitha Nkomana founded African Footprints of Hope in 2008 to address poverty and unemployment in the Eastern Cape, starting with support for children orphaned by HIV and Aids.

Even in his 80s, Raman Khandoo demonstrates that age is no barrier to making a difference. The retired principal spends his days supporting children, the elderly and families in need across East London, making small acts of kindness have a lasting impact

The East London International Convention Centre was filled with the sound of applause on Thursday evening as everyday people were celebrated for doing the extraordinary.

With only three weeks remaining, anticipation is building for one of the Eastern Cape’s most uplifting events — the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes Awards — taking place on November 6 to honour ordinary people accomplishing the extraordinary in service of their fellow man. Hosted at the East London International Convention Centre (EL ICC), the prestigious annual event will once again shine a spotlight on people whose compassion, resilience, and generosity have uplifted their communities.