Initiative to find his relatives

“... It was then that I contacted my bosses at The Nation magazine to not only publish an article shining a spotlight on Matsenjwa’s daily fight with abject poverty and homelessness, but also to headline the initiative to find his relatives, alert the social services department in the government and assist him and others in similar circumstances find relief.”

Ndlangamandla said after the article was published in August, they were flooded with calls as tens of emaSwati showed up to assist.

“A citizen who works at Simunye asked us to find a one-room flat for Matsenjwa either in Msunduza or Mangwaneni townships. The good Samaritan offered to pay rent and cater for Matsenjwa’s living costs,” Ndlangamandla said.

“We were in the process of approaching the social welfare department to assess Matsenjwa’s situation and advise on the best way forward when we learned of his untimely death.”

The Nation magazine subsequently approached the Executive Director of CANGO Thembinkosi Dlamini for technical assistance in setting up a credible structure to seek donations for the initiative which is now known as ‘Decent Send-Off for Khatane ‘Phineas’ Matsenjwa’.

Dlamini confirmed that a partnership was made with The Nation magazine to liaise with the authorities to not only locate the family but also to assist with funeral expenses.

Response

“The response has been overwhelming and as we speak we have collected resources to cover all costs of the funeral. We are also working on a structure that will sustain Matsenjwa’s legacy and assist many other fellow compatriots who find themselves in a similar situation of poverty, homelessness with mental health challenges. We have adopted a multi-stakeholder approach as we all have to come together as emaSwati in an effort to eliminate poverty and homelessness,” Dlamini said.

He emphasised that the national Constitution, National Development Plan, and a number of national strategies enjoined the State, working with its social partners in the private and public sectors, civil society, multilateral institutions and development partners, to utilise the country’s resources towards fighting and eliminating poverty and ensuring a better life for all people in the country. That is what we are advocating and contributing to through this partnership. We are grateful for the overwhelming response that we are getting from emaSwati from all walks of life,” Dlamini said.

A humanitarian from Mbuluzi mobilised her friends and pastor and members of the church to start the process of establishing what will be known as the ‘Khatane Matsenjwa Place of Hope’.

“The whole idea behind this service centre is not just to provide a meal and a bath for homeless people and those who are struggling with poverty on a daily basis, but to serve them and cater for their needs in a wholistic manner,” Dlamini said.