SA Today

Gogo Manzini extends her helping hand to SA

Published

3 years ago

10 December 2021

Gogo Manzini is a herbalist and has the gift of knowing that plants have enough spirit to transform limited vision and heal. She was born as Thabo Mahlangu but is now referred to as Tyra. She describes herself as homosexual and gay. This season gogo invests in school kids by donating school shoes and socks.

Tyra says “Gogo Manzini is my spiritual name which I got from entwaseni”. Entwaseni is a process spiritual healers go through as part of their training. She further elaborates that she is with gogo Manzini and that she carries gogo within her. “I’m a community healer before a traditional healer” she expresses. She heals her community and the public at large by using traditional herbs. The path of becoming a healer is never an easy one but gogo says” despite it all I experienced inner peace and gained the understanding of my African tradition after my transition”.

The healer has an excessive gift of performing rituals for luck, money, protection of homes and business’s. Gogo Manzini is called to heal and aims to heal not only in traditional ways but by implementing ways to build a better South Africa. She has a positive initiative where she aims to give to school kids from disadvantage backgrounds shoes and socks. Gogo is a firm believer in the spirit of giving back and in investing in children. “The key to happiness starts by giving back” she says. Tyra is most excited to give back during the festive season as it’s a season of giving back.

The traditional healer is currently based in Embalenhle in Mpumalanga. Her parents divorced when she was 6 years of age which resulted in her being raised by her late aunt that allowed her to blossom with adequate guidance.

Manzini says “ growing up without both parents proved to be difficult for me and my three siblings and that opened the door to hardship and poverty“. During cold weather’s Tyra remembers how her feet would get cold due to torn shoes and socks that had holes. “The reality is people’s educational journey starts with a pair of shoes” she says.

Donating school shoes and socks is a project that tells a story about her personal experience. She would like to close the gap and ease the pain to those kids that she can relate to. Her healing nature explodes from her soul and trickles into the physical world where she stretches out her helping hand to South Africa.

Gogo wants to put a smile on 50 school kids. She is calling out on all children who qualify to write to her and tell her why they think they should be beneficiary of school shoes and socks. Those interested are encouraged to contact her on 072 448 1478 or tmahlangu808@gmail.com .

Mahlangu’s first point of contact is her community and says “when people come to me they want to be helped and want to be healed”. Furthermore she explains by saying “shoes carry a lot of dignity, shoes carry a lot of confidence and lack of confidence can make a child not focus’s at school. Gogo Manzini sponsors the whole initiative from her own pocket and is happy to keep at it as long as she is making a positive impact.

“I was defiantly called to heal the society through my traditional gift and in other innovative ways. I certainly sleep much better at night knowing that I put a smile on someone’s face” gogo Manzini concludes.

By Sandra Lesenyeho

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SA Today

Woman’s Warehouse 16 days of activation to end GBV and Period poverty

Published

3 years ago

10 December 2021

Team Post

Every 15 seconds a woman in South Africa is a victim of Gender Based Violence. Nadine Clevely is the founder of Woman’s Warehouse and aims to bring together a diverse mix of women from all walks of life for personal empowerment, self-development and self- sufficiency in their home and workplace.

Woman’s Warehouse is in support of ending GBV and period poverty. A march of 16 days activation arranged by the organisation started on 25 November 2021 and will end on 3 December 2021. The march will start at 11:00 AM and will end at 13:00PM. Participants will meet at Sandown clinic at 10:45 and all marching will head to the JSE building. Partakers are required to dress in all black, not forgetting a face mask, sunscreen and hat.

On the final day of the march a memorandum will be handed over to the JSE building which highlights an action plan to empower corporates to help their staff who fall victim to GBV and educate them on sustainable sanitary wear options to give their female employees their dignity back.

16 Days of Activism is celebrating its 30th anniversary since it’s inception in 1991 and even though this is a massive milestone the reality is there has been very little success in curbing the wave of violence women face on a day to day basis.

The COVID -19 pandemic has exposed and increased GBV cases in South Africa. Fortunately Woman’s Warehouse vision is to be a premium resource for women to have the opportunity to learn new skills, become self-sustaining and independent. The organisation also seeks to be an advocate for women’s rights, promote equality and driving force against gender based violence.

The founder has seen gender based violence, been exposed to it and has survived it. Nadine says “15 years ago God gave me this idea to open Woman’s Warehouse. I didn’t know then what it would look like but I knew I wanted to empower women”. Fifteen years later Nadine got God’s full vision while she was fasting and praying for other businesses. “God said the time has come to open Woman’s Warehouse. To also prove that God’s timing was perfect, 3months into level 5 hard lock down last year 160 000 cases were reported of GBV.

“I’m a mother and a grandmother, it is our responsibility to break the cycle for the next generation”, said Nadine. If South Africa can curb GBV and period poverty the next generation can focus on improving other elements that the country struggles with.

Period poverty is a problem that is highly undermined. Girls during their periods that don’t have appropriate sanitary wear miss out on life’s moments that they can never get back. If condoms are given freely the same sentiment should be shared if not prioritized because sex is a choice but periods are not.

“One of my biggest achievements is opening woman’s warehouse and it has been life altering” says Nadine.

The public is urged to join in on the march of 16 days activation. Nadine concludes by saying “Wathint’ Abafazi, Wathint’ Imbokotho and its direct translation is “you strike a woman you strike a rock”.

By Sandra Lesenyeho

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