Latest news with #Jantjies
The Citizen
16-07-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Smile Foundation's 25 years of changing lives
What began with a mother's letter to Nelson Mandela has grown into a legacy of free life-changing surgeries, helping over 1 500 children smile with confidence. Smile Foundation director Marc Lubner, left, 17-month-old Zaylin Jantjies, with mother Amy, and the first beneficiary of the Smile Foundation Thando Manyathi. Picture: Michel Bega Twenty-five years ago, Thando Manyathi's mother wrote a letter to former president Nelson Mandela asking for help with her seven-year-old daughter's lower facial paralysis. Manyathi suffered from moebius syndrome, which left her without any facial expression. The beginning of the Smile Foundation Mandela reached out to philanthropist Marc Lubner, who at the time was with the Young Presidents' Organisation. The two intervened and after much research and investigation, decided rather than sending Manyathi overseas for surgery, it would be best to bring the world's leading surgeons to South Africa and, in turn, help train local medical professionals, which would see this become an ongoing effort. The face of a national legacy Today, Manyathi smiles readily and confidently holds a receptionist job at the Smile Foundation. After going through various medical procedures Manyathi completed a number of administrative courses and computer skills training programmes. She also worked through a number of different departments within the Smile Foundation and Lubner's other charity, Afrika Tikkun. Spending time in the presence of Manyathi, Lubner and his associates recognised that she possessed a lot of love and joy and realised that Manyathi would be ideally suited to being 'the face' of their company – at the helm of the front desk. Thousands of lives changed She is among about 1 500 beneficiaries of the Smile Foundation's 25 years of efforts to provide life-changing reconstructive surgery to underserved communities. This week, as part of Smile Week at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital where it all started 25 years ago, 14 children will receive surgeries that will give them new smiles, fresh confidence and a hope for the future. ALSO READ: Baby girl's life saved by surgery One mother's emotional journey to hope Among them is 17-month-old Zaylin Jantjies from Fochville, who is receiving cleft palate surgery. Mother Amy Jantjies said being a beneficiary of the Smile Foundation is life-changing. 'These operations are so expensive and I'm really grateful for them,' said Jantjies. When describing what it was like finding out her baby had a cleft palate at birth, Jantjies said: 'It was heartbreaking. It was traumatising. It felt like my world did crash. I lost a lot of weight.' Jantjies goes on to explain how the surgeries have not only helped Zaylin, but also her mental state as a mother. 'After Zaylin's first operation, I started gaining weight again. I feel like my heart is clean. I do still cry about this because it's heartbreaking but at the end of the day, it's also tears of joy because I never thought it was possible for her to become more beautiful than she already was to me. I'm relieved that now no-one will be able to tease her when she grows up.' Eleven-month-old Gorataone Modise and mom Kgothatso at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital during Smile Week. Picture: Michel Bega A mother's gratitude Lubner is quick to point out that the Smile Foundation is just a facilitator of this programme and that it's the surgeons at the hospital that deserve the recognition for their time and skills. Additionally, Lubner thanks the Vodacom Foundation that has supported the initiative from the start. Looking back over the 25 years, just before Mandela Day, Lubner recalls how he and Mandela's dream came true. 'This is proof of what's possible when people come together to make a difference, and it's just the beginning of the next chapter.' *Smile Foundation is a South African non-profit organisation dedicated to providing comprehensive health care for children and families affected by facial conditions and burns. NOW READ: Smile Foundation give little Caroline a reason to smile
IOL News
07-05-2025
- IOL News
Mitchells Plain community demands inquiry into escalating gang violence
Police are investigating a double murder and attempted murder after three males were shot in Mitchells Plain. Image: Leon Knipe The Mitchells Plain Community Police Forum (CPF) has issued an urgent call for a commission of inquiry into gang-related violence, following a deadly shooting in Tafelsig that claimed the lives of two teenagers and left another critically wounded. The mass shooting took place on Tuesday night, May 6, at the corner of Platteklip Street and Cable Way, Tafelsig. According to police reports, the victims—two males aged 18 and 19—were gunned down while standing in the road. A third male was seriously injured and taken to the hospital for treatment. Police say a Toyota Etios drove past the group and opened fire before fleeing the scene. The attack is believed to be gang-related. As residents of Mitchells Plain reel from yet another violent incident, the CPF's call for structural interventions, accountability, and community mobilisation underscores the urgency of addressing the deep-rooted causes of gang violence. Chairperson of the Mitchells Plain CPF, Norman Jantjies, said the community is under siege and the violence is affecting households across the suburb. He has called for urgent collaboration between law enforcement agencies and residents to tackle the spiralling crisis. 'We as the CPF are very concerned because these shootings and killings are going on unabated, and it looks like it is the whole of Mitchells Plain that is affected,' said Jantjies. 'We feel more needs to be done by the law enforcement agencies. We need increased visibility and profiling of all the gangsters and make sure that we have the number plate detection and cameras. We note that most shooters drive to their targets.' Jantjies lamented the community's reluctance to come forward as witnesses, citing fear and intimidation. He argued that surveillance technology, such as license plate recognition and street cameras, could help close the information gap and assist police in identifying suspects. 'We have a problem with people refusing to be witnesses. We need cameras to assist us in identifying the perpetrators,' he said. A mass shooting in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain has left two people dead and another taken to hospital. Image: Leon Knipe The CPF is also developing a long-term anti-gang strategy with stakeholders across sectors. Jantjies emphasised that this issue must transcend political divisions and be approached as a collective community crisis. 'We are saying that the Mitchells Plain community is developing a gang strategy, we want everybody to come on board. We should not look into this politically—everybody must sit down at the table, this is not just going to go away,' he said. 'This impacts every household in Mitchells Plain. We repeat our call that we need a commission of inquiry to look into this ongoing gang violence that we are faced with. It goes right from prevention and detection to prosecution.' The CPF chair also expressed frustration over a pattern of cases being withdrawn in court, allowing perpetrators to escape justice. 'We have another problem of cases being withdrawn at court, and this means that people are getting away with murder,' Jantjies said. Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the details of Tuesday's shooting and said investigations are under way. 'The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Tuesday night, 6 May 2025, on the corner of Platteklip Street and Cable Way, Tafelsig, Mitchell's Plain, where two males aged 18 and 19 were shot and fatally wounded and another male shot and wounded, are under investigation,' Twigg said.
