Eastern Cape woman’s soup kitchen gives more than warm meals

In the Eastern Cape village of Ngqele, a 62-year-old woman named Nodumo Mashiyane started a soup kitchen in 2021 after noticing a hunger crisis in her community. Mashiyane discovered that many of the items being stolen in the area were food, and she began making meals herself out of her own pocket. Residents told Mashiyane that some were taking their medication on an empty stomach, while others, especially the frail and those living alone, would go without food for days.

Mashiyane now cooks meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, primarily for elderly people, individuals with disabilities, child-headed households, and struggling families. She cooks using firewood, which she purchases, and residents also contribute by collecting wood to help her. While Mashiyane encourages residents to collect the food themselves, she also delivers meals to those who are unable to walk to her house.

On a recent Friday visit to the soup kitchen, GroundUp witnessed elderly Nomabhongo Mini enjoying a warm bowl of samp and beans with vegetables and gravy. Mini lives with her frail elderly mother and relies on the soup kitchen for her family's meals. She expressed that the soup kitchen has brought relief to families caring for elderly relatives and children living alone.

Mini also mentioned that many residents in the area are unemployed and rely on social grants, which are already stretched to cover children's school needs. The soup kitchen, she said, has made a significant difference in the community.

Mashiyane has attempted to secure funding for the soup kitchen by registering an NGO, Ngqele Youth Development, and applying for grants, but her efforts have not been successful so far.