Food Voucher Programme

More than a simple hand out to a desperate person, this programme encourages entrepreneurial thinking and can start someone on the road to independence.




Zodwa Rejoyce Khuzwayo changed her life with a R350 Food Voucher

Maturity is when you stop complaining and making excuses, and start making change.

Zodwa ran a small creche and made just enough money to pay the bills. Until lockdown forced her to close and lost her monthly income. With no money coming in, caring for her family of four was almost impossible.

Through a community referral, Zodwa applied for an emergency food voucher from Siyabonga Africa. After completing the application procedure, she was accepted into the programme and linked to a food gardening skills course. She used her small food voucher to buy not only groceries, but vegetable seeds as well.

“Planting my own vegetables in a rural community has helped me to earn money,” she says. She is now a community food garden trainer, and sells vegetables to her neighbours from her home gardens. Being able to buy a cabbage for R20 and a bunch of spinach for R10 helps them too. Zodwa has even started selling popcorn, adding different flavours to cater for adults, and the response has been amazing.

Zodwa's crech in now open again, but she continues to plant vegetables and sell popcorn to generate an additional income. This proves that a little effort goes a long way.

If you're amazed by what hardworking people like Zodwa can do with as little as R350, please use the form below to set another struggling South African on the road to independence and dignity.




R350 gave Rebone Moatshe the chance of a new life

Pretoria based Rebone Moatshe (57) and her family survived on her disability grant and the small income she generated through baking at home.

But when lockdown struck in 2020, she could no longer make ends meet. Searching for opportunities online, Rebone came across Siyabonga Africa and applied for an emergency food voucher. She ensured her voucher was used as intended and it brought some relief during those difficult months.

Because of her diligence, Siyabonga Africa identified her as an agent of change and invited her to participate in a 3-month guidance programme. Rebone received food support and learned how she could turn her food vouchers into an income generating opportunity. She was given tasks such as a community survey to identify selling opportunities, completed a free online computer course and opened a Facebook and Instagram page for her home bakery (Urban Cakes). Rebone also participated in a gardening course and started to grow vegetables to feed her family.

Today Rebone has over 600 followers on social media. Her business is registered with Uber Eats, has a Google presence, and even advertises on the EskomSePush app! Sales have picked up and she has started selling baked goods to local schools.

Rebone dreams of growing her business to reach people iwithin a 40 km radius of her home. She would like to cater for events, sell in markets and empower other women.

We, at Siyabonga Africa, love to support people who are ready to work hard and who are committed to becoming agents of change in their homes and communities. Well done, Rebone! You are a true agent of change. Click here to support Rebone's business.




Could you change your life with just R350?

We are amazed by the men and women who do just that – using a R350 Siyabonga Africa food voucher to open the door to new opportunities. For Tholakele Luvumo, it comes down to a simple philosophy: “If you want to change your life, start immediately.”

Her husband lost his job during lockdown, plunging the family into poverty. They have a daughter is in Grade 3 and all three of them were surviving on one child support grant and what little her husband could earn working odd jobs.

By last Christmas, the little family had no food in the house. Tholakele applied for a food voucher from Siyabonga Africa. But, instead of spending the entire R350 on groceries, she used some if to buy vegetable seeds, which she planted in disused plastic containers around her home.

She then asked her neighbour, who has a large yard, for permission to plant more vegetable seeds on his land, and he agreed. With more land to sow, Tholakele decided to improve her skills. She attended a food gardening course at Siyabonga Africa, and passed with flying colours.

Gardening taught her to have patience. It was difficult waiting for her seedlings to grow – but soon she was able to put food on the table, and even start selling vegetables in her community. R10 a bundle is affordable to others in her neighbourhood, and she makes a profit of R5 on each bunch sold.

Being able to earn an income restored her dignity. She has now become an ‘agent of change’ by teaching others in her community how to grow food. One day she hopes to have her own plot, where she can teach more people about gardening.

If you’re as impressed as we are by Tholakele’s persistence and hard work, please consider using the form below to change another life. Help someone like Tholakele recover from life’s blows … feed her family … and unlock opportunities to become self sufficient again.