Zanele Princess Mrasi (45) from Cape Town (Western Cape) is the warm-hearted nursery teacher inspiring a city to lace up during Women’s Month. Diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer on 11 June 2025 at Mitchells Plain Hospital, she is meeting the moment with grace and grit while her school community launches “Miles for Ms Mrasi” — a 21 km Gun Run and a 5 km walk — to raise funds for transport, nutritious meals, and care for her teenage son during treatment at Groote Schuur Hospital. The campaign, started on 28 July 2025 by one of the moms, has already raised R78,000 from 69 donors toward a R100,000 goal — a Women’s Month reminder that when women move together, they move mountains.
A Teacher Who Builds a Second Home
Ask any little girl in her class and she’ll tell you: “Miss Mrasi’s classroom feels like home.” That’s by design.
“For me, teaching is about creating a safe space where students feel valued, capable, and supported,” Zanele says. “I’ve always believed in the transformative power of education — I wanted to be that source of encouragement for someone else.”
Her path to that classroom wasn’t easy. Born in Mnyamanzane village near Butterworth, she moved to Cape Town at nine, studied Early Childhood Development, and worked her way from assistant to teacher while raising her son, Sethu, now 19. When Sethu needed specialised support for learning differences, she paused her own degree to stand beside him. Years later, she completed her studies and, in 2022, became a nursery teacher at one of Cape Town’s most prestigious schools.
“It’s true that when you really want something, it’s never too late,” she says. “It takes a village — and I’m grateful for mine.”
Strength is a through-line in Zanele’s life. A devoted Christian and church leader, she mentors young women through the Young Women’s Manyano and helps run Sunday School. She is also a single mother, proudly supporting Sethu as he writes his matric exams and steps into manhood.
In her classroom, Zanele greets children in isiXhosa, sprinkles in songs in English and Afrikaans, and is often found on the carpet with one child curled into her lap and others gathered around. Parents use one word over and over:
“happy.” As one mom shared, “She speaks with calm kindness, makes even the smallest task feel meaningful, and is never too busy for a cuddle.”
When the Community Laces Up for Women’s Month
The diagnosis arrived on a busy school day.
“I was devastated,” Zanele recalls. “I kept asking, ‘Why me?’ But I knew I had to be strong for my son and my girls at school.”
“My sisters and family have been my rock,” she says. “My colleagues and the parents at school remind me I’m not alone.”
Her colleagues and the moms of her class didn’t hesitate to answer that strength with their own.
“Somewhere between the chatting and the running, it just clicked — we should run in her name to rally support,” says one of the moms behind the campaign. “Within minutes, moms were entering the Gun Run, pencilling in training days, and planning coffee dates. One message turned into a movement.”
What began with two runners swelled into a small army of moms jogging the 21 km and others walking 5 km, with the children dreaming up a solidarity walk of their own. With Zanele’s blessing, the crowdfunding page went live — and donations poured in, many carrying messages as generous as the amounts.
“The response has been overwhelming,” she adds. “In the first 72 hours, we nearly hit our initial target. It reminded us that a school is a second family.”
This surge of solidarity lands in August, South Africa’s Women’s Month — held in honour of the 1956 march to the Union Buildings. “Wathint’ Abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo” — You strike a woman, you strike a rock — now echoes in trainers and race bibs, in packed lunchboxes for hospital days, and in the steady love of a community carrying one of its own. On National Women’s Day, 9 August, families across the school shared notes of encouragement with Zanele, a living lesson for the girls about courage, compassion and collective action.
Faith, Family and an Unshakable Why
The campaign is intentionally practical: funds are being used for transport to and from hospital, nutritious food to support recovery, and care for Sethu while his mom undergoes treatment — everyday costs that cancer magnifies.
“Because of your support I can focus on treatment without the constant worry,” Zanele says. “Your kindness inspires me every day, and I look forward to giving back.”
This run of love is becoming a bridge back to the classroom that so dearly misses her. The total isn’t just a number; it represents steady steps through treatment toward the moment when children once again run into her arms. It steadies a family so a son can finish matric with his mother cheering from the sidelines. And it reminds an entire country — especially during Women’s Month — that ordinary steps taken together can rewrite a difficult chapter.
Before the final kilometre, there’s a simple invitation: join them. Share this story with someone who needs a little hope today. Donate if you can. Help carry Zanele Princess Mrasi through this chapter with dignity, love, and strength — step by step, back to the happy, singing classroom she built for so many.
In Their Own Words — A few Messages from the Girls
— Asma: “I miss Ms Mrasi. I love her because she taught us isiXhosa songs. The songs and dancing were so funny — they’re my favourite memory.”
— Ivy: “My favourite thing was when she gave us bee stickers on our birthdays. She plays with us so we feel safe. I also like how she teaches us isiXhosa.”
— Ava: “My favourite thing about Ms Mrasi is her lovely snuggles. On Wednesday in the old Busy Bee class she told us a story in a funny voice. She’s the best. Ms Mrasi, when are you coming back to school? I miss you and I love you.”
(These are just three of the messages — watch the video to hear more of what makes Ms Mrasi so special.)
To support Zanele Princess Mrasi visit their BackaBuddy campaign link here:
‘https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/miles-for-ms-mrasi’.
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