For the past three years, Donita Engelbrecht has become a familiar figure in Sunnyridge, Orange Grove, and surrounding communities, where she has helped co-ordinate local initiatives aimed at supporting vulnerable residents through feeding schemes, clothing drives, emergency assistance and community safety programmes.
Working largely through volunteers and donations, Engelbrecht has built a network of community members committed to helping families in need while addressing challenges affecting local neighbourhoods.
Her efforts have earned her a nomination for the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes campaign.
Engelbrecht said her commitment to helping others was shaped by her own experiences growing up around addiction and its consequences.
“I witnessed the impact of drug addiction from my mother and brother, who also got involved in crime because he couldn’t sustain his dependence,” she said.
While many residents know her for co-ordinating neighbourhood watch patrols and working alongside police and security companies, Engelbrecht said her work extended far beyond crime prevention.
Together with volunteers, she runs feeding schemes and clothing donation drives in Orange Grove, Santa and Leaches Bay whenever funding and resources are available.
“We don’t get funding from councillors or the government, so I rely on Spar, community contributions from areas like Sunnyridge, Greenfields and Rosemount, and sometimes I use some of my own money to help the community,” she said.
The number of volunteers involved varies depending on the need and the resources available.
“The support depends on the situation,” she said.
Engelbrecht said her work was driven by a simple understanding of what local residents needed because she was part of the community herself.
Over the past three years, she estimates that her feeding schemes, relief initiatives and community projects have benefited about 3,500 people.
Community safety remains an important part of her work and she regularly assists with patrols and works alongside detectives based at the Fleet Street police station and private security companies.
Sunnyridge resident Rosalinda Boado, who nominated Engelbrecht for the Local Heroes accolade, said she had become someone residents turned to when problems arose.
“We moved into the area in July 2019. We know that the community turns to her if there are problems,” she said.
Boado said Engelbrecht regularly checked on vacant properties to prevent them from being hijacked by vagrants and remained actively involved in helping vulnerable residents.
“She also feeds children and adults in Orange Grove with very little support from anyone,” she said.
“Though she has children of her own, she is always willing to help the people in the community. She does more than our ward councillor for our area.”
Volunteer Peter Khasoane said much of the initiative’s work happened behind the scenes, including responding to requests for assistance received through social media platforms.
“We try to do comprehensive things within the community,” he said.
“Due to the lack of resources, police have limited vehicles to patrol. We rely a lot on private security companies.”
Rosemount resident Theressa Openshaw said she met Engelbrecht while she was distributing clothes and nappies in Orange Grove and was struck by her commitment to helping others.
“I went with her to help her with that, to see how involved she is, and she’s very involved,” Openshaw said.
“She had children’s nappies and clothing, and it did not stop with that community.
“Besides offering a whole meal, she really tries to change their livelihoods however she can.”
For Engelbrecht, the work is not about recognition but about responding when people need help.
“When there is a need, we try to assist where we can,” she said.
Daily Dispatch
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