Thabo Pelesane is involved with building a fully furnished house for a child-headed family in Ext 19, Jouberton, a second home was built for a family that lost a daughter who was killed, two other homes were fixed after they were burned due to electricity fault. He is helping to give over 2 000 families food hampers in
partnership with Nelson Mandela Foundation and Siya Kolisi Foundation, giving 150 schoolkids school uniforms, supplying Christmas babies with necessities and also helped two gentlemen who underwent kidney transplants to attend Transplant Olympics in Spain in 2017. He also donated a generator to a youth centre in Pienaarsdorp called Mam Olivia.
Lentswe, Klerksdorp - Thabo Pelesane’s parents must have known he will grow up to be a fighter as he was christened Molwantwa which means fighter!
He is well-known as a philanthropist in the community, a trait he has been brought up with because his parents always gave room to those who needed it and food to the hungry.
“I followed their lead but was doing it on a small scale. In 2012 I was told to do it formally and that is when I registered the Thabo Pelesane Foundation (a non-profit organisation).”
His status as a TB ambassador launched his career as a community worker nationally and also internationally through his work with Doctors without Borders. “I was invited to tell my story in Parliament and the Department of Health used my story to inspire others. My face was on billboards throughout the country.”
Thabo contracted TB when he was 13 years old. He, however, didn’t finish his treatment and got sick again in 1993. TB returned in 1998 as well as in 2008 when he had a wake-up call when his father and some of his siblings became sick too.
“That’s when I fought this illness and had injections every day for 40 days. I almost lost a lung due to TB. Now I am cured and I can call myself a TB survivor. I now work with an NGO called TB Proof.”
Thabo works at the Matlosana Municipality as a land administrating officer and he has been at the municipality for twenty years. He will be turning 49 this year.
His calling is to help others and he dreams of opening a centre where young boys and girls can get off the streets, where they can learn about the dangers of drugs and gangsterism - “two evils that is destroying the society’’.
He is passionate about about education and said he was helped by NSFAS and managed to study.
“My foundation helps matriculants to pay for their registrations at tertiary institutions. We had a function at Rio Casino and pledges helped to pay for 15 students. Some are now at university and five are at Vuselela. I also combine education and health by having the annual fun walk on Human Rights Day this coming Friday. I invite people to join the walk and donate sanitary wear for girls. Vuselela also supplies a hall where we’ll be having a dialogue with young adults.”
Human Rights Day to him means “everyone has rights, but with limitations and we should protect the rights of others”.
He was born, bred and “buttered’ in Jouberton and his siblings also live around here. They were eight and only five are left. They were seven boys and one girl and it was his sister’s birthday when he did the interview on Monday March 17.
He has three daughters and still wishes to get married one day. Two of his children are still at school and the eldest is at university.
“I fight every day and must be an example to my kids. I want to instill my motto of helping others in them. I’m paying it forward.”
In his spare time, Thabo is a popular DJ and public speaker and enjoys to MC at private events. He also has a program on Star FM where he reaches out to the community. The programme will be back on air soon.
