Touching the lives around him

Retired Methodist Church of Southern Africa bishop Ziphozihle Siwa’s foundation aims to tackle many social challenges

Former Methodist Church of Southern Africa bishop Ziphozihle Siwa
Former Methodist Church of Southern Africa bishop Ziphozihle Siwa
Image: SUPPLIED

In May, he was the middleman who saw an Eastern Cape rural school receive a donation of a fully functional techno lab from leading SA IT products distributor Rectron.

Ntabenkonyana Senior Secondary School’s new state-of-the-art equipment is an example of the many ways former Methodist Church of Southern Africa bishop Ziphozihle Siwa aims to touch the lives of those around him.

When he retired from church leadership in December 2019, the Ziphozihle Siwa Foundation founder reflected on the many social challenges that had caught his attention during his time in ministry.

He then established his foundation to help curb poverty, inequality, poor education, unemployment and various other challenges that face his village in Middledrift.

Siwa was nominated by Phila Ngqumba for the 2023 Local Heroes awards. 

Ngqumba said the bishop had chosen to listen to — and act on — the challenges faced by rural communities. 

“During his time as an active minister and the leader of the church, he listened and heard many cries of God’s people and observed social challenges that especially faced rural communities.

“As he settled down in his rural setting at Ngcabasa village back in 2019, he realised that challenges faced by the communities needed a seriously co-ordinated effort to be resolved,” Ngqumba said. 

With a visible footprint across the Eastern Cape, Siwa registered the foundation as an NPO in 2021 with the vision to empower rural and underdeveloped communities by enhancing access to opportunities. 

“The foundation is meant to provide knowledge and support to overcome some of the social ills in our communities and to facilitate dialogue,” Ziphozihle Siwa Foundation secretary Mpumi Ngalo said.

“Its primary reason for being established is to contribute towards bettering the lives of rural communities, facilitation of access to knowledge and providing training and poverty alleviation initiatives.”

Ngalo said the Ntabenkonyana High School donation marked the foundation’s soft launch and an invitation to more donors to partner with it in achieving similar initiatives that would positively affect rural communities. 

Passionate about the comprehensive education of children, especially in the rural areas, Siwa spearheaded a partnership between the SA Council of Churches which he chaired, the department of education and the historical schools restoration project that culminated in the multimillion-rand restoration of Healdtown Comprehensive High School in Fort Beaufort.

Shortly after his 2019 retirement, Siwa identified an old woman who lived in a dilapidated corrugated iron structure in Middledrift and led a project to build her a house from his retirement fund.

In line with his passion for education, he was appointed to the Rhodes University Council by then education minister Naledi Pandor.

The council then nominated him to represent it in the senate.

“At the time, when you walked into the senate, it was all white grey-haired males,” Siwa said. 

“We challenged that system until the first [non-white] principal of the university, Saleem Badat, was appointed.”

Late last year, the bishop was entrusted by Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane to lead a six-member task team appointed to intervene in the province’s deadly taxi violence.

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