Providing assistance to the jobless
NJABULO Magabela has experienced many hardships but this has not stopped him from wanting to help others.
Magabela, 25, who lives in Inanda, was raised by a single parent and was forced to drop out of school and find work at an early age to help his mother.
He has since found ways to generate income from different streams and decided to help to provide job seekers with money for transport to travel to and from their interviews.
He is this week’s unsung hero. Magabela’s full-time job is being a kitchen staffer at a call centre in umhlanga. On his days off work, he runs a grass-cutting business and dabbles in photography to make extra money. He sets aside a portion of the money to donate to the unemployed.
Earlier this year, he started a nonprofit company called Impangeni Esithombeni which is yet to be registered. He said the company’s name was inspired by wanting to pay homage to his hometown, Empangeni, where he grew up.
“I initially gave money to people who I knew. I was inspired to do this because I understood the struggle of being young, unemployed and not being able to afford transport costs. I had personally experienced it.”
The criterion for recipients was they had to needed transport money to attend a job interview.
“I ask for proof of them being called to the interview, be it from their phone records, SMS or email and then I give them the money that is sufficient to get them there and back.
“However, this is a self-funded initiative, I cannot assist everyone. I release the money on Sunday on a first-comefirst-serve basis,” said Magabela.
He said that the amount of money provided was dependent on the destination and the recipients were not compelled to repay him, regardless of the outcome of the interview.
Magabela said that he receives at least 100 requests daily.
A budding music artist, he moved to Empangeni when he was young and returned to the city as an adult. He described his childhood as a difficult one, forced into independence at a young age and later having to abandon his studies at Ngome Technical High School in Kwanongoma in Grade 11.
“I was forced to drop out of school. There was no money at home and so I had to leave the academic world and fend for myself and my family. This made me leave home and go to Durban later to try my luck,” he said.
He said he had big dreams for the future. “I wish to register my company so that it can exist for many more years to come.”
One of the people who Magabela assisted was Thandeka Mthiyane, 34, from Ntuzuma. She had a job interview in May and had no money to get there. She found out about Magabela’s company through social media.
Mthiyane said that she was able to secure the job for which she had requested the transport fare.
“I will forever be grateful for having met him. He assisted me a lot. He is a humble soul with a bright future ahead of him and although people may want to scam him and have ill intentions, I hope he remains motivated to continue helping others,” she said.