Lawyer helps those in need after answering a call from God

Beacon Bay attorney Pumla Mncwango said she was inspired to open a soup kitchen after hearing God’s voice telling her to help a woman in need.
DIVINE INTERVENTION: Beacon Bay attorney Pumla Mncwango said she was inspired to open a soup kitchen after hearing God’s voice telling her to help a woman in need.
Image: SUPPLIED

Beacon Bay attorney Pumla Mncwango says God called her to help her community, which she does every weekend through her soup kitchen serving residents of Parkside, Pefferville  and Parkridge.

The mother of three leaves the comfort of her home every Saturday morning to ensure that the three communities are served.

Mncwango said when she started extending a helping hand to the needy, she was answering a call from God.

As a religious person, she had always been guided by the words of Christ, which was helping one another.

Back in 2007, she had the idea to start helping the underprivileged.

But it was only in 2023 that she started with a soup kitchen in Parkside.

“I met a lady in Vincent while I was buying my daughter treats. She was underdressed on a day that had bad weather.

“She asked me for money, and I ignored her to go back to my vehicle.

“Upon entering my car, I heard [inside me] a voice saying, ‘you will not leave this lady like this’, I believe it was God,” she said.

Mncwango said she quickly ran back to the woman and asked her what she wanted from the store.

“She politely asked me if she could get a full chicken, which I responded to with a yes.

“I then asked her where she stayed, and she told me it was Parkside.

“This was the same area I was called upon by God, back in 2007, to offer a helping hand.

“It was then that I decided to go to Parkside and start a soup kitchen for the people of the community,” she said.

On November 4 2023, Mncwango alongside families and employees working in her law firm, set up soup kitchens around East London, mainly Parkside, Pefferville and Parkridge. 

She got her supplies from OK Foods, which would sometimes donate 40 loaves of bread to the unregistered NGO, though most times they would have to use their own money and spend about  R14,000 a month on bread.

They also use their own money to buy soup, juice and fruit to complete the meal. 

Though  money is not her major concern yet, she acknowledges that a project like this requires more funding and help. 

Mncwango is also worried about the impact of drugs in the communities she serves.

She has donated clothes and sports kits to township schools, saying she wants to see sport development.

They were also planning to host a fun event on December 16, by collaborating  with businesses or community members to get a jumping castle and have hot dogs for the children of the struggling communities.

Nominator Phatuxolo Njamela said Mncwango always sought to promote the welfare of others, going beyond just the soup kitchen.

He recalled one instance where she donated a kit for Wongalethu High School in Mdantsane.

“One other thing that I doff my hat to her for is that she offers wills for blind people for free in Dimbaza.

I’ve known her from the time she started her law firm and that dates back more than a decade ago,”  Njamela said.

DispatchLIVE 


 

 

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