After completing her studies and facing challenges in finding a job, Willowvale-born Lungiswa Rhumsha took matters into her own hands.
She founded Utshintsho Express Development, an NPO based in Duncan Village aimed at combating the high unemployment rate. It now has four branches across the Eastern Cape.
The organisation was established in 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic with eight people.
Rhumsha, 35, now oversees a team of 205 employees and 100 volunteers of various age groups.
“There were only eight of us when we started, and it was a difficult time, lives were lost, many were losing their jobs and countless homes were left without breadwinners.
“Crime rates were rising and we knew we had to act.
“We include people of all age groups because the government’s employment system has an age limit, but that’s just not practical given the current state of our economy.
“So we use the skills and knowledge of our unemployed graduates to grow as an organisation.”
The old community hall in Duncan Village, once vandalised and occupied by vagrants, has been given a new lease of life as Utshintsho’s main premises.
“Every electric cable had been stripped and everything inside was either broken or stolen.
“But because the organisation includes unemployed yet qualified youth, we were able to fix some of the broken equipment to make the hall a workable space for the late-afternoon classes for high school pupils.”
Rhumsha partnered with various government institutions such as police stations, clinics, and the departments of home affairs and social development.
She restored the hall and turned it into a community development hub that now provides vital programmes for schoolchildren, job readiness and digital literacy for unemployed youth, and a delivery service for chronic medication patients.
Among the initiatives are school-based vegetable gardens which, once harvested, help provide meals not only for pupils in after-school programmes but also for people on chronic medication along with underprivileged families.
“We make sure to cook for the children before they begin their work, because in many cases the meal they get here is the last one they’ll have for the day.”
Rhumsha said the facility also employed runners who collected medication from local health clinics and ensured that patients took it with food, rather than on an empty stomach.
Recycling, recreating and reselling tossed reusable materials is another project that generates income for the organisation.
“We mix paper with water, shape it into small balls, and use them as fire starters for households that can’t afford electricity,” Rhumsha said.
“Our partnership with home affairs ensures that everyone who qualifies for any government grant can have easy and convenient application systems.”
In 2022, after witnessing the positive impact of the programmes in Duncan Village, Rhumsha expanded her efforts into rural areas, including Willowvale, Centane, Qonce and Lusikisiki, where she believed the support would be even more beneficial.
“In rural areas, clinics and schools are far from people’s homes, which leads to escalations in the school dropout rate, surges in pregnancies and the quicker spread of disease.”
Nikiwe Rhawutini, 69, a Duncan village resident who has benefited from the programmes since 2021, said she was happy with it because her life had become easier — she no longer had to stand in long queues.
“I arrive in the morning, am served with a cup of tea followed by breakfast, and directed on which medication to take and what dosage.”
Nothemba Fandesi said she nominated Rhumsha as a Local Hero for her work founding and running the organisation.
Rhumsha supported her community by creating jobs and offering practical life-skills training.
Her mission was to inspire people to see their worth, even when facing challenges.
“Despite receiving funding for the first time last year, she remained true to her values, continuing to hire from within the community, including people living with disabilities,” Fandesi said.
Daily Dispatch
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