Notorious for dishing out money to people in the townships over weekends, the “Skhothane” sangoma Sibusiso “Mkhulu” Mathe has done it again, this time donating a total of
R25 000 to five families who participated in a soap drive.
“Skhothane” refers to a subculture in which wealth is put on display as a fashion statement.
Last Saturday the street he lives in, in Makhaza was a hive of activity as he threw money at bystanders before handing over R5 000 to each of the five families who he said were his clients.
And he was sure to adhere to lockdown regulations, making sure everyone’s hands were sanitised and that they had their temperature checked before the hand-over event.
Mkhulu said he believed no one should go to bed hungry, which is why he does what he can to feed to the poor.
He told Vukani that generosity was “in his genes” and that his grandfather, who was also a sangoma, and his father had taught him to be generous.
Explaining what led to the weekend’s cash handover, he said: “I ran a competition for my clients to buy as many soaps as they can. I promised R5 000 for the best five.”
One of the five families, he said, now stood the chance of winning a car.
The beneficiaries said they were happy for the donation when things were not going well in their households.
Mfuleni resident Nontsikelelo Foloti said she planned to save the money for her daughter who will be in matric next year.
“The money I received is going to make a big difference to me and my family.
“I am going to save it for my child who is in Grade 11 this year. I will save it for her because I am not working so she gets all she wants next year. I am truly grateful for this,” she said.
She said she spent less than R400 on soap to stand a chance of winning the R5 000.
Asanda Madikane from the informal settlement of eNdlovini was equally excited. She said she would use the money to buy winter clothes for her children.
“I want to thank tat’uMathe for thinking about us, the poor. I will use it for my children. It is winter time and my children had nothing warm. This will warm them up. I am over the moon,” she said.
The unemployed Zwelethu Mdoda from Mfuleni said his children would be surprised when they saw him buying groceries and other goodies for them.
“We are grateful for such love and caring people. This is going to sustain me for a while. But most importantly, this will shock my children who do not understand when I say I have nothing because I am unemployed,” he said.