Celebs walk the walk for brave little Phenyo
● With his love for children, if Nelson Mandela was still alive I wouldn’t have been surprised to find him spending his 100th birthday shining some Madiba magic on the plight of a little girl in the hope she will enjoy the freedom to walk.
Phenyo Mackenzie Moropa suffers from tibial hemimelia. In South Africa, the twoyear-old faces amputation, but the Paley Institute in Florida in the US can save her leg and help her walk — but at the expected cost of a whopping R2-million.
With that in mind, water therapy service Life Baby and former Miss South Africa Kerishnie Naiker held a lunch at trendy Marble restaurant in Rosebank, Johannesburg, on Wednesday to raise funds to help get Phenyo walking.
Arriving at the venue, which is coowned by Gary Kyriacou and celebrity chef David Higgs, and which donated all the food on the day, one of the first people I meet is A-lister songstress LeAnne Dlamini, who, as a mom to two daughters, was touched by the little girl’s story.
Someone you wouldn’t expect to have a soft spot for kids is a hulking rugby player, so it was endearing to see Springbok Franco Mostert pushing his daughter Joaibelle in her pram and cradling former rugby player Alwyn Hollenbach’s little one in his arms.
But all eyes were on little Phenyo, who seemed to relish the attention as she crawled over the restaurant floor, greeting guests and swaying her little body when Tamara Dey got up to perform.
Comedian Nqoba Ngcobo entertained us as we tucked into tuna tartare starters, mains of grilled sirloin with mushroom salsa, and truffled cauliflower purée or line fish with smoked apple and beetroot pesto, and an ice-cream sandwich for dessert.
Phenyo’s parents, Tshepo and Gillian Moropa, were so overwhelmed with gratitude that tears came rushing down and they were unable to speak. Sadly, although sponsors such as Cell C and Aspen Pharmacare were generous — and a signed Elton Jantjies Springbok jersey and boots fetched R10 000 — it will still be a long time before little Phenyo can have any hope of walking.
If you would like to lend your support, do visit getpwalking.org.za.