Mr Frans Mabunda of Manyeleti in Temba Hammanskraal is a passionate activist who assists children in his community to reach their dreams by teaching them cultural dance in the different traditions of isiZulu, Ndebele, and Tswana.
He started in his activism back in the 1980s inspired by watching plays by renowned actors such as Gibson Kente who made him believe that local children can achieve the same goals.
Back in the 1980s when he was operating a music system, he was disheartened after he was hired to play at a stokvel and he witnessed children as young as 18 involved in alcohol abuse and reckless lifestyles.
“That night I cried when I got home and told my wife about it and we decided to do something to contribute to saving the youth of Temba from losing their lives to alcohol and drug abuse,” he said.
He started engaging the youth in his community to form dance groups to keep them off the streets and taught them traditional dancing and transported them to perform at different events.
As the number of children interested in his activities grew, he sold his private car and bought a pickup truck to be able to transport the bigger numbers.
So far, the children that attend his programs vary from 30 to 60 kids who are involved in activities such as dance, drawing, and woodcraft.
“I exercise discipline and I teach the children to concentrate on life improvement activities and equip them with skills that they can use to improve their lives.
“Some of the people who have been through his programs are today adults and have their own families while others are successful in their careers such as musicians, Thabang Mokgoshi.
“I do not have any sponsor to do what I am doing and I do it from my pocket because of the passion I have to develop our community. I urge all community members to be involved in developing our children for a better tomorrow because no one will do it for us,” he said.
One of the community member involved in Mr Mabunda’s programs, Ms Tshepiso Kekana from Manyeleti , said Mr Mabunda’s programs have helped many to succeed in life.
“He does everything out of his pocket and has succeeded in keeping most of us out of the streets and into constructive lives.
“He does not discriminate, he helps all the children who need his help and even when we are out to perform, we never go hungry because he provides for us, and for this, we are very grateful for his selflessness,” she said.
She said she was motivated by one of the drama plays ‘Not Without A Father’ which was a program of Mr Mabunda that taught fatherless children to cope in life.
“Mr Mabunda takes all the children like his own and with the drama, he taught the children that there is life even for those without a father,” she said.
Another participant who identified herself as Rudzani, said she would like to see Mr Mabunda assisted with sponsorship so that he can be able to assist more youth.
“If he is assisted he will be able to take us to more workshops and skills development courses so that we can improve our lives,” she said.
Mr Mabunda can be contacted at 0823566080
