Foundation helps Elliotdale beneficiaries with home affairs, social welfare problems

The Nosintu Gwebindlala Foundation in Elliotdale is a beacon of hope for many rural communities who struggle with social welfare services.

It helps them with the applications for birth certificates, IDs and social grants. 

The foundation was formed by Nosintu Gwebindlala, the wife of Nkosi Zwelikhanyile Vuyani Gwebindlala, of the Jalamba Traditional Council in Elliotdale. 

The 50-year-old woman is a retail planner by profession. But she has a big heart for rural people.

“Being the wife of a traditional leader, problems always come to Komkhulu every day from community members. Then we decided to establish an NPO with the department of social development in March last year to address these problems.

“Our main focus for now is social welfare challenges and injustices, though we do work with other challenges such as gender-based violence. We believe that social welfare injustice is also a pandemic and a generational challenge,” she said.

Gwebindlala said there were many reasons why villagers may not have birth certificates and IDs. 

“It’s a combination of so many things ranging from negligence to lack of awareness, a question of affordability as they stay in traditional rural communities. A trip to social welfare offices can cost a minimum of R200 per return trip.

“People in rural areas, especially in Elliotdale, which is categorised by Stats SA as the poor of the poorest are 100% dependent on social grants,” she said. 

Despite these challenges, the foundation has helped many people in a short period. 

“Since April last year we have helped 502  beneficiaries with 430 completed cases, which equates to 86% success rate. The 12% remaining cases are cases that are still outstanding due to turnaround times on the complexity of the query with the relevant department. 

“For example with Home Affairs, the process of Late Registration of Births, gender rectifications takes longer to process. 2% equates to cases that we have closed due to beneficiary response on submission of required documents by social welfare office,” Gwebindlala said.

She said the working relationship with government departments is getting better every day. 

“The working relationship with departments is improving every day. We are at a point of understanding each other’s mandate and getting to realise that we all have a common goal — to help traditional rural communities to get better services every day.

“We also have online services and a Facebook page — Nosintu Gwebindlala Foundation. On Thursday between 7pm and 8pm we are on Bulungula Community Radio, talking about these issues,” Gwebindlala said.

She says although the foundation is not funded by the department of social development, it has resolved many difficult cases. 

“The highlights and achievements are the number of cases we have resolved. One beneficiary did not have an ID because her the department of home affairs had her incorrectly recorded as deceased.  She and her children could not get birth certificates and further access social welfare grants due to her status. But that has been resolved. 

“We also helped mentally challenged man, aged 62, who had no ID and could not access any form of social welfare grant. But now he owns an ID and will be receiving his old-age grant next month. 

“These achievements mean we are the ‘Voice of the Rural Communities’.”

Home affairs provincial manager Gcinile Mabulu praised the foundation for its great work. 

“It is one of our critical stakeholders, helping us to bring to our attention areas of greater need we must visit, and those queries the community members are battling with. Sometimes, the foundation transports the critically affected community members to the office to get immediate help,” he said. 

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