After 18 years in tax, legal, criminal investigations, customs, and global trade, Bongi Nzama returned to KwaZulu-Natal with a mission close to her heart.
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she greets eager faces in the rural village of Zingolweni, serving a warm breakfast to nearly 400 schoolchildren. These moments, she says, are about more than food – they’re about hope –inspired by her late sister Mbali’s dream and their father, affectionately known as “Muhle uJesu” for his selfless dedication to the community.
Through Mbali The Village, a non-profit named for her sister and founded in March 2023, Bongi is determined to make a difference. “It takes a village to raise a child” is not just a saying here; it’s her guiding principle.
From her own pockets, she initially funded the breakfasts, and now, with occasional support from local businesses like Boxer in Izingolweni and Shoprite in Margate, she reaches even more children.
Beyond breakfast
Izingolweni is special to Nzama. Their community-based outreach initiative has been operating in this area for the past two years.
In this rural village, many young people are left to care for themselves, as most lost their parents during the political violence of the 1990s. The community still feels the impact of those tragic events, with many households led by children.
This is why Nzama has made it her mission to help these young people reach their full potential. She offers programmes that encourage youth involvement in their community, including academic support and nutrition initiatives.
However, Nzama’s vision goes beyond just providing breakfast. With four hectares of land and plans to expand their small food garden, which they started in September 2024, she sees an opportunity to empower local youth by helping them grow vegetables and, in turn, grow their futures.
Currently, they plant green peppers, spring onions, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, butternut and beetroot on a small patch of land.
“If kids learn to grow food,” she says with conviction, “they’ll teach their families and perhaps start their own gardens. In that way, we all win as a community.”
They hope that with the land, they can empower youth to be self-sufficient and break the cycle of poverty in their homes and community by growing vegetables and supplying them to schools and local markets.
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Challenges on the path to progress
The journey is far from easy. The land lacks water access, and despite Nzama’s research revealing nearby water sources, the cost of implementation is daunting.
“If we could just get the water, we could plant cabbage, spinach, beans, and more. These vegetables thrive here and could be a steady source of nutrition and income.”
However, Nzama is undeterred by the challenges she faces. For her, the goal is to transform Mbali The Village into a hub of self-sufficiency and resilience. She says that with every step she moves closer to that vision.
In tough times, Nzama finds strength in the faces of the children she serves and in the memory of her sister and father to keep pushing forward.
“We believe that a child’s chances in life should not be determined by circumstances outside of their control, such as where they are born or the circumstances of their birth.
“We aim to tackle hunger and food scarcity within our village while empowering our youth and guiding them towards a goal-driven, successful future. We are giving hope that drives purpose.”
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