At BackaBuddy, we want your fundraising experience to be as smooth as possible—including getting your funds out when you need them! Whether you’re running a self-managed campaign or a Blue Tick campaign, here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to help you request a payout, plus tips for a hassle-free process.
Before You Request a Payout
For Self-Managed Campaigns
Before you can request a payout, your campaign must be verified by the BackaBuddy team. This means:
Upload all required documents for verification.
Wait for your campaign to be checked by the BackaBuddy team.
Once verified, a BackaBuddy Verified Badge will appear on your campaign page, and the “Payout Request” button will turn purple and become available.
Tip: If you see the “Payout Request” button greyed out, double-check your documents and make sure your campaign has been fully verified!
Blue Tick campaigns (where donations are paid directly to an organisation or service provider) do not require campaign verification before requesting a payout.
How to Request a Payout
Steps 1–9 (For Both Self-Managed & Blue Tick Campaigns)
Hover over your profile name (top right-hand corner).
Select “My Campaigns” from the dropdown.
Scroll down to find your campaign’s banner and title, below the donation summary circle.
On the right, click the purple circle with a purple dropdown arrow.
Click on “Manage Campaign”.
6. On the left, select the purple “Payout Request” button.
7.
PC View: Tick the small circle next to your campaign’s name in the summary.
Mobile View: Click on “Funds Breakdown” dropdown arrow and then tick the small circle next to your campaign’s name in the summary.
8. Enter the amount you wish to withdraw in the “Payout Amount” box.
9. Click “Request Payout”.
The Payout Journey Splits Here
A. Blue-Tick Campaigns
10. You’ll be prompted to upload supporting documents. Choose one of the following:
Invoice: If you have an invoice from the organisation you need to pay.
Or a Reimbursement Claim: If you’ve already paid and are claiming back, upload your proof of payment. You’ll also need to upload your proof of banking details.
Organisation’s proof of Banking Details: If the payment is to an organisation’s bank account (the usual option). You can upload the same invoice if the banking details are clearly displayed.
Tip: If PDF uploads fail (usually due to file size), take a screenshot and upload the image instead!
11.Upload your document(s) by clicking the “+” in the square boxes. (One document per block.)
12.Enter the organisation’s bank account details—make sure these match your uploaded proof or the details on the invoice.
13.Leave a tip for BackaBuddy (optional).
14. Click “Save and Submit” at the bottom.
15. If completed successfully, a small pop-up will confirm your payout request has been sent for processing. Click “Finish” to complete.
B. Self-Managed Campaigns
Funds are paid into the campaign creator’s bank account or beneficiary of choosing (as uploaded and verified during campaign setup).
10. After clicking “Request payout”, complete the payout form: add a clear title and description, and double-check the banking details.
11. (Optional) Add a tip.
12. Click “Save & Submit.”
13. A confirmation pop-up will confirm your payout request was sent for processing. Click “Finish” to complete.
Tracking Your Payout Request
Once you’ve submitted your payout request, you can track its progress right in your dashboard:
Navigate to “Withdrawals” from your menu.
For both Blue Tick and Self-Managed campaigns, you will see the status of your payout request.
If your payout has been successfully processed and is waiting to be paid, the status will show as “Pending”.
Once the payout has been made, the status will update to “Paid”.
Checking the “Withdrawals” section is the quickest way to confirm your payout’s status without needing to contact support.
Important Notes
Processing Time: Payouts usually take 3 to 10 business days to process.
Proof of Payment: If you need a proof of payment, please contact the BackaBuddy team.
International Payouts: For international bank accounts, contact the team to complete the “International Payout” form. (International payouts may take a bit longer.)
For Blue Tick Campaigns: Funds must be paid directly to the organisation’s bank account (except in the case of reimbursements, which require valid proof).
Troubleshooting
If the “Payout Amount” box doesn’t work:
Refresh your browser.
Double-check there are no spaces before or after the amount.
Ensure Num Lock is off.
Try a different device.
If PDFs don’t upload:
Try taking a screenshot and uploading as an image.
Cape Town’s biggest 24-hour community cycle is back on 6–7 September 2025. Friends, families, corporates and schools will rotate through 24 hours on 60 bikes at Bishops’ Piley Rees field to raise R1,000,000 for youth development in Langa. Riders will take turns through the night to ride for purpose, ride for impact, and ride for change—because when a community moves, children’s futures move with it.
Cape Town’s 24-Hour BIGGEST Cycle Challenge Is Back
From its base at 22 Bitterhout Street, Langa, the VUSA Rugby & Learning Academy works with children aged 4 to 13, blending early learning, academic support, rugby and psychosocial care. One hundred percent of what the Challenge raises goes straight into these programmes. This year’s goals are practical and powerful: expand literacy so more children read for meaning by Grade 4; complete a new VUSA hub in Langa—with an income-generating deli, a reading garden, a fully equipped kitchen and safe learning spaces; and strengthen academic support by hiring more facilitators and purchasing better educational resources.
Born in 2021 through a collaboration led by Bishops Diocesan College with strong community backers (including Investec), the 24-hour format has grown every year thanks to thousands of champions who climb onto the bikes and keep the wheels turning. BackaBuddy returns as the official fundraising partner, hosting dozens of campaign pages so supporters can back a rider they know or donate directly to the Academy. The format is pure community: teams ride in shifts through the night, cheered on by music, live entertainment and food trucks. And the invitation is open—anyone can sign up a team, bring the gees and join a shift. If life won’t let you cycle, you can still be part of the story by donating. Every rand helps break the cycle of poverty and builds a future of opportunity.
The momentum tells its own story.
2021: R217,392 raised.
2022: R535,168 raised.
2023: 43 BackaBuddy campaigns rallied 1,141 donors to raise R909,883.10.
2024: 77 BackaBuddy campaigns rallied 1,337 donors to raise R1,080,403.94.
Total (2021–2024): R2,742,847.04 invested in children’s futures.
That funding translates into real-world wins. As the Academy put it: “Last year, your support helped us repair our Digibus (a mobile classroom), build a new library and computer lab, and set up a practice space for our social worker.”
That’s a classroom on wheels, books in little hands and a quiet room where care happens.
This year, the relay continues with 52 team campaigns already live. Early support is showing: 257 donors have contributed R 218 605 toward the R1,000,000 target. Those gifts turn into literacy coaches, shelves of well-loved books, nutritious meals from the new kitchen and steady mentors beside homework tables. They also help finish the Langa hub so that safe, bright spaces are ready for learning when the bell rings.
Ride for Purpose: How to Join
The VUSA 24-Hour Cycle Challenge starts at 09:00 on Saturday, 6 September and wraps at 09:00 on Sunday, 7 September at Piley Rees, Bishops. The track will be a festival of nicknames and noise—proof that doing good can be joyful. Expect waves of teams from corporates, high schools and colleges, and prep/junior schools, alongside community clubs, alumni groups, families and friends. Some will be chasing lap counts, others bringing pure gees—but every crew will ride for purpose, ride for impact, and ride for change. New team pages are going live on BackaBuddy each week, so the roster will keep growing—yours can, too.
“This isn’t just a ride, guys—it’s a flip’n revolution.”
It’s what you’ll hear trackside when the music lifts and another shift tags in. Because this event is more than laps; it’s a relay of care. Anyone can take part—sign up a bike with friends, bring colleagues for a corporate shift, or gather your school team and ride in memory, in celebration, in solidarity. And if you can’t be there, send your support in the form of a donation—every bit helps, and every rider feels it.
When we say the city’s biggest cycle challenge is back, we mean bigger, bolder and filled with even more heart—thanks to partners who keep the wheels turning: Bishops Diocesan College, Investec, and the official fundraising partner, BackaBuddy, alongside the many community sponsors who add prizes, music and colour. Together we ride for purpose, impact and change—so that children in Langa can read with confidence, learn with dignity and dream without limits.
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.)
In July and August 2025, Nikita Van Rensburg (32) and her brother, Ricki Van Rensburg (38) rallied support for the Gatjie settlement (Cape Town) with a winter shoe drive and a follow-on crowdfunding initiative that is already changing daily life. The first drive launched on 17 July 2025, raising R21,500 and—together with sponsors—turning a hired hall into a day of dignity with hot meals and brand-new sneakers for children who’d been walking barefoot through winter mud. On 18 August 2025, she launched a second recurring donations campaign that has raised R22,500 so far toward a R200,000 goal to keep food on the table and repair leaking shacks. In total, 18 donors have given across both campaigns, including two anonymous R10,000 donations in the first three days, and many more partners have contributed goods, time, and heart. A surprise video call from Springbok captain Siya Kolisi on the day of the shoe drive also became a powerful spark for courage and belonging for the community of Gatjie.
A legacy of love, carried forward
“In 2018, my mom started handing out hot meals on a field in Diep River,” Nikita says. “She built deep relationships with the Gatjie community—hosting Christmas parties and fundraising for school supplies. She loved them, and they loved her back.”
When their mom passed away from a brain tumor, Nikita and Ricki promised to carry that legacy forward. The promise quickly turned into action: before a recent storm, they replaced roofs on a handful of shacks using their own funds.
“One elderly husband stepped inside to see the dry floor and collapsed, sobbing with relief. I’ll never forget that,” she recalls.
That moment—simple, human, unforgettable—captures the heartbeat of the campaign: practical love that keeps families warm, dry, and fed. It’s also why gestures like Siya Kolisi’s call matter so much—seeing a national captain show up for Gatjie tells every child their story is worth showing up for, too.
The August shoe drive answered an urgent need. Through a contact at Adidas, more than 80 pairs of brand-new sneakers arrived. New Balance added R10,000 and three pairs of socks per person—hundreds of pairs—so feet would stay warm and dry on muddy footpaths. With the funds raised online and meals donated locally, the team fitted little feet, served steaming plates, and reminded families that they are seen. All content and photographs from the shoe-drive event were captured and donated pro bono by Cape Town creative Ramon Mellett (Instagram: @ramonmellett).
“Some kids cried with happiness,” Nikita says. “One boy keeps his shoes in the box after school, so they stay nice.”
From shoes to shelter and supper
Shoes were the start, not the finish line. Cape Town’s winter rains turn thin, rusted roofs into sieves; mattresses, blankets, and clothing stay wet for days.
“We’ve made a priority list of homes needing repairs,” Nikita explains. “It costs about R2,500 to replace a roof, and some homes just need patchwork.”
Food is another urgent need. When storms close soup kitchens, children go to bed hungry.
“I’ll never forget a 3-year-old dipping her lollipop in water and saying it made her feel more full—because that day, they could only afford the lollipop.”
The plan now is year-round: provide meals, fix roofs, and host regular kids’ days filled with play, learning, and love—safe spaces where children can simply be children. The funds raised will go directly to food, clothing and blankets, and the materials and labour needed to repair shacks so families can sleep without fear that the roof will collapse.
Women’s Month, dignity and dreams
This Women’s Month, the work took on special meaning. On the day of the shoe handout, the children received a surprise video call from Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. He spoke courage into a young boy who’d been bullied; that night the child told his mom he was going to dream about meeting his hero. Even one of the bully’s moms came forward to apologise afterwards.
“The kids kept asking why Siya would speak to them,” Nikita says. “They need to know they matter—that where they come from isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
Girls also left with more than footwear. The Cora Project joined to run a pad drive and a powerful conversation about periods, confidence, and choice. They offered discreet bags for carrying pads—yet several girls chose to walk out holding their pads in hand, proudly. For Nikita, moments like these echo her mother’s heart: show up, feed people, and restore dignity.
Why this campaign matters now Gatjie is a small settlement with big hearts—and daily hurdles. Without sturdy shoes, children slog through sand and mud just to reach communal toilets; without intact roofs, families take turns sleeping for fear of collapse. Hunger makes it hard to learn; lacking basics erodes confidence. And yet the resilience is unmistakable.
“You can show up with nothing but yourself,” Nikita says, “and the kids will run to you for hugs.” Her long-term hope is clear: “I want to see at least one child from Gatjie grow up, leave the settlement, and be able to support their family. We can get there with nutrition, school supplies, sport, and connection.”
How you can help Every contribution stretches far: R2,500 can put a dry roof over a family; any amount helps fund weekly meals, clothing and blanket drops, and the next kids’ day. Corporate partners can donate shoes, socks, roofing materials, or food. Volunteers can cook, deliver, mentor—or simply show up. To connect about goods or time, reach Nikita on Instagram at @triggrGood. If you want to give right now, both campaign pages are live: the winter shoe drive here:https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/winter-shoe-drive-for-the-gatjie-kids and the ongoing support drive here:https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/helping-the-gatjie-community-together.
In just weeks, these efforts have raised R31,500 in cash—plus generous in-kind donations—and built a blueprint for hope that is practical, personal, and profoundly local. It looks like a dry mattress, a warm bowl of food, a pair of laces tied tight—and a child who believes tomorrow can be better than today.
If you’ve ever wondered what Ubuntu means—this is it. And this initiative is calling on the African spirit, and you, to climb on board and get involved.
Anastacia Marais, 22, from Meyerton, Gauteng, has been fighting acute myeloid leukemia since 2022 and is now racing to fund the bone marrow transplant that can save her life. On the 22nd of July, Ana’s boyfriend’s father, Christoffel Van Der Merwe, launched a community crowdfunding campaign in the hopes that Anastacia can receive the operation at a private Pretoria hospital with the right doctors, equipment and care. In the first 10 days, 44 donors gave R35,750 toward a target of R800,000—an early surge of kindness that mirrors Anastacia’s determination and the impact she has on those around her. Thanks to DKMS, half of the transplant cost will be covered; the campaign aims to raise the remaining amount so she can proceed without delay.
A mother who never left her side and a family that knows this fight
Christoffel started the campaign because Anastacia isn’t only dating his son, Gerhard—she’s become a special piece of the Van Der Merwe family.
“She’s a big part of our family—that’s why I started the campaign,” he says.
Their understanding runs deep: when Gerhard was just two, he too battled leukemia. The family remembers the fear and the long nights, and they’ve chosen, again, to meet it with gentleness and action.
Just as steadfast has been Anastacia’s mother, who has stood by her side from day one—taking her to every appointment, sitting long hours in wards, and phoning twice a day (three times when she couldn’t visit).
“My mother was my rock—she came to the hospital every single day for the first four months,” Anastacia says, adding heartfelt thanks to her stepfather and a far-flung network of relatives who checked in, visited, and brought comfort.
Anastacia grew up between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town with a devoted single mom—early lessons in courage and adaptation that now serve her daily. During the hardest stretches, Anastacia lived with Gerhard’s family and they provided for her—rides to appointments, meals on the tough days, and laughter on the better ones. Before illness, she was a whirl of curiosity and movement.
“I was curious about everything—I wanted to experience the world in every way I could,” she reflects.
Hiking, dance, karate—if it promised discovery, she tried it. That spirit didn’t disappear when cancer arrived at 19; it adapted. There was remission in 2023, a shattering relapse in 2024, and—after more courage than most see in a lifetime—remission again.
Through it all, she insists, “I’ve never stopped fighting. Not once.”
‘I chose to live, not just survive’
Her love story with Gerhard is a thread of steadiness.
“When I found out I had leukemia, I gave him the option to leave,” she says. “But he chose to stay. Not out of obligation—but out of love.”
His family echoed that choice, showing up with practical help and quiet faith. On her own side, the support has been just as fierce:
Alongside him, her mother’s constancy never wavered: lifts to treatments, bedside vigils, and daily calls that stitched courage into the toughest hours.
“My mom really stood by my side,” Anastacia says. “She made so much effort, and I wouldn’t be who I am without her.”
In 2024, with renewed remission, Anastacia took a brave step into life: she and Gerhard moved into their own place—close enough to family for help, far enough to practice independence.
“I didn’t want to just survive anymore—I wanted to live,” she explains.
The small rituals feel like victory: morning coffees, late‑night talks, and a home that holds both the scars and the laughter.
This Women’s Month, her message is clear. “Vulnerability isn’t weakness—it is power,” she says. “It takes real courage to open up, to say, ‘I need help.’ But when you do, the world meets you with more kindness than you ever imagined.” And to every woman navigating a hard road: “We are women. And that alone makes us warriors.”
Why this transplant—and this moment—matter
Doctors agree that a bone marrow transplant is Anastacia’s best and only path to lasting survival. The Pretoria team is ready; DKMS’s sponsorship halves the financial mountain; and the remaining funds will unlock the operation, after‑care and the chance to plan a future that is bigger than appointments and blood counts. The campaign has already shown what the community can do—R35,750 raised by 44 people—and this raise was done in just 10 days. Now the wider circle has a chance to finish what love began. Anastacia’s dream is disarmingly simple: study again, work a job she loves—perhaps genetics or zoology—earn her independence, and keep chasing sunrises with the people who never let go.
“That version of me still lives inside me today,” she says. “The illness changed my path, but it never dimmed my light or my hunger for life.”
Every rand given is routed straight to the hospital via a BackaBuddy Blue Tick campaign, ensuring transparency meets urgency. Each contribution becomes hospital days covered, specialist time secured, and a transplant scheduled at the right place with the right team. The generosity that carried her this far can carry her the final stretch—from surviving to living.
Share Anastacia’s story with your networks—every share widens the circle of care and brings her transplant closer.
To support Anastacia Marais visit their BackaBuddy campaign link here:
Become a blood stem cell donor in South Africa: start with DKMS Africa’s online sign-up to request a free cheek-swab kit (most donations are done as an outpatient via apheresis; ages 17–55). Alternatively, you can register with the South African Bone Marrow Registry (SABMR), which accepts donors aged 16–45 and ships a swab kit or books you at a nearby
