“We did it, Joe!” This was the sentiment influencer and reality TV star Lasizwe Dambuza shared on his Twitter page when it was discovered that his R10 Goes A Long Way initiative had garnered R1 million donations in five days.
Lasizwe Dambuza inspires SA mass investment initiative
In a way, this popular quote, coined by US Vice President Kamala Harris, is a fitting depiction of the insurmountable goal Lasizwe and his troops achieved.
At the height of tensions between students and privately managed tertiary institutions, the little brother of Khanyi Mbau saw a solution.
As he informed Tshisa Live, it started with a R10 000 commitment from his personal account. This, he said, would surely help someone, but South African students needed a wider-reaching solution, not one that only affects an individual’s life.
“I had R10,000 and trouble deciding how to give it away. Do I divide it among three or four students or give it all to one person? I did an Instagram Live stream and that’s when people like Sibu jumped on and we began guiding each other as we heard the solutions students told us they needed,” he recalled.
How will these funds be divvied up?
With the weight of the students’ plight on his shoulders, the reality TV star used his wide reach to spur South Africans to donate as little as R10 towards assisting students with registration.
In a span of five days, contributions from retail businesses, influential mavericks and other members of society tallied donations up to R1 million.
From what we understand, the funds are being kept in an FNB bank account belonging to a Duma Investments business. Lasizwe, in his press statements, has not explained how the funds will be funnelled to those in need. However, according to the 22-year-old, Duma Investments has sought the assistance of institutions that have experience in distributing funds meant for civic projects such as this.
“This is not an ‘I’ initiative, it’s a ‘we’ initiative, a South African initiative because all the R10 have turned into something more because Mzansi came together and stepped up to help,” he said.