The World Needs Champions
For South Africa, July 2021 was a month of extreme emotions. Following the former President’s arrest on the 8th of July, there were sparks of public looting, mainly in KZN and Gauteng. More than 200 people lost their lives. The media termed it as South Africa’s “Darkest Hour”.
Community leaders were catalytic in stopping the looting and shifting perceptions, preventing the escalation of anarchy. Members took ownership of their communities and started a process of clean-up and restoration. Flooding social media platforms were videos, photos, and stories of community members of all walks of life participating in restoring their communities to a state of peace.
It took less than two weeks to demonstrate that South Africa is awash with champions. These superheroes don’t wear capes, and they have no medals. In fact, some of them are living with disabilities.
The Facebook video of the Wheels of Change crew’s cleaning efforts went viral. It was reposted and edited into other videos to showcase a South Africa that is law-abiding and hopeful. Thami Mankenkeza, the founder and CEO of Wheels of Change, was even interviewed by Feed the Search Podcast. Champions deserve honour and respect. South Africa needs more champions.
But there is no smoke where there is no potential for a fire. People with their own political agenda reportedly sparked some of the violence and looting. However, the motivation of many was their stomachs.
For now, order has triumphed over chaos. But jobs and opportunities are needed urgently. That is why Wheels of Change is so motivated to get a Training Centre established for those most in need of economic inclusion – people living with disabilities.
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