NMU student’s project a blessing to needy families
Two needy families have benefited from a social responsibility project undertaken by former Dale College matriculate Ziano “Mzee” Winlock.
The 21-year-old brought grateful smiles to the families’ faces on Sunday October 7, when he donated food parcels to them at Bidhli Farm.
The farm is situated on the banks of the Buffalo River, opposite Schornville, near King William’s Town.
Winlock, who lived in Schornville and matriculated at Dale College in 2015, is a second year business management student at Nelson Mandela University.
As part of his course, he was tasked to do a social responsibility assignment.
“I was confused with many ideas striking my mind such as cleaning our environment and visiting the sick in hospital but my sister told me there are many families who don’t know where their next meal will come from, so I decided to hand over food parcels,” said Winlock.
His next step was to find someone who knows the community, and his sister suggested Breidbach resident and King Lions Club member Desmond Coetzee.
“He immediately assisted me in identifying the families, and to be honest, I have never in my life before seen people living in such poverty,” Winlock said.
“As a young boy growing up in Schornville, I never knew that there were people living in those corrugated structures on that farm. I thought it formed part of the animals’ kraals.”
On arriving at the farm, Coetzee introduced Winlock to the residents and explained the reason for their visit, which was received with overwhelming joy.
Both parcels contained basic food items such as rice, samp, beef, soya, and toiletries.
One of the parcels was handed over to 62-year-old Bennie Kock and his wife Katryn, and the second to Charmaine Cocklin, a single mother of five children, with the youngest only one year old.
Kock said: “The Lord has sent you here as we had no means of food to prepare for today, thank you so much.”
The 45-year-old Cocklin was lost for words and bursts into tears as Winlock handed her the parcel.