BONONO, which started little by little with a radio program, has become a rallying cry for women who listen to Khozi FM.
This organization, whose organizer is broadcaster Dudu Khoza, is made up of mostly womenthey are domestic workers whom they call Shiellas. It is currently one of the organizations that has made a name for itself by doing things together and with the uniforms they wear when they are at events.
The story started out of nowhere with veteran Khozi broadcaster Dudu “LadyD” Khoza, 13 years ago, when he founded the website We are in space with Mom in his midday schedule iJabul’ Ujule 9 am to 12 noon.
That idea grew to the stage where Shiellas was founded in 2013, a collaboration of mothers from different places across the country who are domestic workers.
The Chairperson of this organization, Mrs Jabu Mangena who is based in its Johannesburg branch, says that they would not be where they are now with this organization if LadyD had not started this idea which is already bearing fruit. The organization currently has more than 1,300 members in its nine branches in Johannesburg, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Port Shepstone, Mooiriver, Eshowe, Newcastle, Mnambithi, Pretoria and the recently opened Mtshezi.
“I remember that this idea started on LadyD’s program, where she used to give an opportunity to mothers who are domestic workers to comment on this site, and then open up or talk about the work they do and everything that they are not satisfied with on a daily basis.
“That helped us a lot to build relationships as mothers from different places doing this work, until we arranged to see each other to strengthen our relationship. And we were also able to use the power of the spirit of Khozi FM to express everything that bothers us and does not satisfy us with the work and the way we are treated,” she added.
Continuing, he said that they have helped each other to do and accomplish a lot in the past 13 years, including building and repairing their homes, teaching children, buying cars and giving back to the community by donating resources to meet the needs of the needy.
“We always make sure that we are there to support and support each other whenever one of us has lost a loved one. We also congratulate each other when someone among us has done or achieved something good and happy in life,” said Mrs. Mangena.
Recently, these ladies came to the tent to honor the former producer of LadyD’s program, Mandla Magwaza, in Nanda, who was buried in the past weeks.
He said that they have opened their hands to other mothers who are doing this work to join them so that the organization can grow more than it is now, because their main goal is to eventually have branches all over the country, and continue to achieve good things together.