In July 2020, Shaun and Bianca Pretorius from Benoni, Johannesburg, learned the devastating news that their son, Shaunie (11), a bright and happy young boy, was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and terminal type of brain cancer called Brainstem Glioma.
A devastatingdiagnosis
At the beginning of lockdown, Shaunie was struggling with fatigue and constant vomiting. Thinking that his condition was perhaps brought on by school stress and adapting to online learning, his parents took him to a number of doctors to see what was wrong.
Matters soon got worse when the antibiotics he was given did little to remedy his condition. Shaunie began struggling with his eyesight, had difficulty moving around and battled to communicate.
Shaunie having a CT scan at Linmed Hospital
To determine the cause of Shaunie’s rapid decline, he was taken for CT scan at Linmed Hospital in Johannesburg. The heartbreaking results of the x-ray determined that Shaunie has a cancerous tumour in his brain stem, a fatal condition known as Brainstem Glioma, which has a median survivalrate of only 9 months.
With doctors unable to operate on Shaunie, he underwent 12 aggressive Radiation Therapy sessions to shrink his tumour and alleviate some of his pain.
To shelter Shaunie from the severity of his condition, his parents haven’t told him that his tumour is cancerous, but he understands why he has begun losing his hair and that he is unwell.
“Hearing that your child, who has always been perfectly healthy, is fighting a deadly disease and only has a few months left to live is devastating. We don’t know how to tell Shaunie that he is dying. We still have hope that God will hear our prayers and that he will make it through” – says Bianca
As there is no cure for Shaunie’s condition, he is currently being treated symptomatically with cannabis oil and steroids to help the swelling on his brain and increase his appetite.
Shaunie’s Birthday Wish
As only 1% of children diagnosed with Brainstem Glioma live up to 5 years, the Pretorius family are focused on keeping Shaunie as healthy, as pain free and as comfortable as possible so he can enjoy the time he has left with his parents and his little brother, Mattie (3).
Shaunie with his little brother, Mattie.
Focusing on all the things that spark joy for a young boy, Shaunie’s uncle Juandre Botha has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to fulfil Shaunie’s ultimate dream of owning a Playstation 5, just in time for his 12th birthday on the 9th of March.
“Sadly we do not know exactly how much time we have left with our little man, so we really want to make every single day as special and as comfortable as possible for him. As I’m sure anyone can imagine this battle is really hard on him but he’s a very strong-willed little fighter and we are so proud of him.” – says Jaundre
With generous support, Shaunie’s campaign has already raised over R 9000 towards his fundraising target of R12 000, with contributions from 16 donors across the country.
Additional funds raised will be used to cover Shaunie’s additional medical expenses, specialized food and living expenses.
With over R200 000 million raised for charitable causes in South Africa, donations-based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, celebrates the 250 000 donors who have uplifted those in need.
Re-launched in 2015, BackaBuddy has welcomed over 16 600 individual online fundraising campaigns for medical expenses, tuition fees, sporting tours, community projects and good deeds across the country.
Over 3 200 charities are also active users of the platform, raising funds for various needs within their organisation through their own projects, and have collectively invited over 21 400 individuals to pledge their birthdays or participate in events to raise funds on their behalf.
“As a platform, BackaBuddy allows us to come together as communities to support people and causes that we believe in, regardless of our differences. For every cause, accident or catastrophe that we face, we bear witness to the many who step up when asked to by their peers. This is the immense power that crowdfunding facilitates and which goes far beyond just the funds that are raised” says BackaBuddy, CEO, Patrick Schofield.
Take a look back at some of BackaBuddy’s memorable crowdfunding campaigns.
Inspiring individuals
The good samaritan
When Monet van Deventer stopped at the Shell Ultra City in Somerset West and realized she forgot her bank card at home, good samaritan, Nkosikho Mbele, who works as a petrol attendant, offered to fill her tank with R100 to ensure she got home safely.
To show her appreciation for Nkosi’s kind deed, Monet set up a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a fundraising target of R100 000. With tremendous support from the public, over R500 000 was raised in a few short days with contributions from over 2 500 donors from around the world.
Catching up with Nkosi, we are happy to report, he’s doing great and has begun working on extending his mother’s house with the funds he received. Nkosi says he is still recognized from time to time and is still enjoying his job as a petrol attendant!
First class ‘roosterbrood’
Eight years ago, ‘Tannie’ Poppie Van As (64), who runs a small roadside ‘roosterbrood’ stand on the N1 in Laingsburg in the Western Cape, met sports events organizer, Stan Engelbrecht (43).
Impressed with her talents and her infectious personality, Poppie was introduced to the Italian owners of Eroica and was invited to Gaiole, Italy to make her now famous ‘roosterbrood’ for their main cycling event in 2019.
Poppie moments before her flight to Italy. Image credit: 13TH MONTH FILMS
With the cost of her flight covered, Stan launched a campaign on BackaBuddy to cover Poppie’s accommodation and spending money for the once in a lifetime trip.
With donations from almost 200 donors, over R100 000 was raised and Poppie was ready to go! Spotted at the airport, Tannie Poppie was even upgraded to business class for her first-ever trip overseas and shared her experience on her Instagram page.Read more.
One of the highlights from Poppie’s trip, was braaiing at chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen’s restaurant, JAN in Nice, Italy.
“Here was this vivacious woman in her 60s, bursting with joie de vivre, who was making her living selling roosterkoek from a padstal along the N1 motorway outside Laingsburg. Then, after a whole life in the Great Karoo, she was suddenly on her way to Italy to make this essentially South African, fire-baked bread for a group of cyclists on tour. I was hooked. Her rural-small-town story reminded me more than a little bit of my own. And she was going to be just around the corner! I just couldn’t resist inviting her to JAN to give my team of fancy schmancy chefs an education in how to bake ‘real’ roosterkoek. This is her story, as told by the team who helped her to make this dream a reality…” – Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen wrote on his blog.
At JAN restaurant in Nice: The young chefs, their uniforms white and starched, looked on, gaping as Poppie threw together her recipe without a measuring cup in sight. Image credit: 13TH MONTH FILMS
Saving Aaron
Aaron Lipschitz (5) from Sea Point, Cape Town, is the first child in South Africa to be diagnosed with Interleukin-12 Receptor Defect, a rare genetic condition that affects the immune system.
As there is currently no cure for Aaron’s condition, the only way for Aaron to overcome his recurrent infections and survive this condition, was to have a bone marrow transplant in August 2018. Read more.
Over the course of two years, the BackaBuddycampaign raised over R1 000 000 to support Aaron’s ongoing medical costs with contributions from almost 1000 donors both locally and abroad.
Checkmate
When star chess player, Amahle Zenzile (13) from Cape Town was unable to attend the SAJCC Closed in Johannesburg, due to lack of funds, her best friend and fellow competitor, Trinity Van Beeck (13), along with her mum Marisa Laas and coach Thando Hlakula stepped in and launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy.
Amahle Zenzile with campaign creators Marisa Laas and Trinity Van Beeck
With well-wishes and support from the public, Amahle went on to finish 5th in her age group and was awarded her South African colours.
Campaigning a second time, Amahle was able to represent South Africa in Namibia the African Youth Chess Tournament where she placed 4th in her division.
In total, almost R60 000 has been raised for Amahle’s tournaments as her star continues to rise in the chess community. Read more.
Cody the brave
10-year-old pony, Cody, made international news in June 2017 when he found his way home, against insurmountable odds, 16 days after the devastating Knysna fires that nearly claimed his life.
To cover the cost of his treatment, as he was badly burnt, emaciated and struggling to see, acampaign was launched on BackaBuddy that raised over R 130 000 from almost 300 animal lovers across the globe.
Courageous Cody has since become the animal ambassador for the The Eden Empathy Initiative, a non-profit organisation focused on skills training, clinical therapy and animal education where he continues to inspire everyone he meets.https://www.youtube.com/embed/eLIXR_uL_JQ?feature=oembed
From the Township to skies
Xolisa Shenxani (18) from Sir Lowry Pass Village in Cape Town, has had his heart set on becoming a commercial pilot from a young age despite coming from a disadvantaged background.
“I used to look up into the air and see helicopters fly over my house but I didn’t know what they were. I thought, ‘I would love to fly that thing!’, but I wasn’t sure if people could fly in it. I remember, in grade 1 or 2, a helicopter landed on the soccer field in Sir Lowry’s Pass and I got to see inside of it. That’s when I knew that I wanted to become a pilot!” – says Xolisa
Xolisa’s dreams were set in motion in 2019 after almost R200 000 was raised to fund his grade 11 and matric year at private school. Xolisa was taken by surprise when an anonymous donor contributed R 101 500.00 to his BackaBuddy campaign, leaving only a short message of support “Glo jy kan dit doen”
Xolisa’s mentor, Philip Bellstedt was happy to report that Xolisa passed matric with impressive results and achieved the minimum requirements to apply for the airforce in 2021!
Inspiring causes
Cause Climber
In 2018, Andrew Patterson, originally from Johannesburg, climbed Table mountain every day for a year, braving the winter cold, summer heat, the wind, and the rain with his 365 Ubuntuclimbs campaign to support 3 charities close to his heart.
Andrew Patterson
On New Year’s Eve, Andrew took his last step in a year-long journey that totaled 2429 km including 262 km of vertical climbing (equivalent to 71 Mt Everests).
A total of 738 climbers accompanied Andrew throughout his journey, which took over 964 hours to complete.
Having raised just over R910 000 on BackaBuddy, Andrew supported Habitat for Humanity’s OVC project in Khayelitsha, partnering with Baphumelele Children’s Home, to provide shelter to orphans and abandoned children.
Funds were also used to provide 7 primary schools with teaching materials to empower children through reading through NPO, One heart for kids, and 60 new donors were added to the Sunflower Fund bone marrow registry.
“With my BackaBuddy campaign I was treated to the spirit of Ubuntu and was surrounded year-round with amazing human beings who shared my focus and passion to help others” – says Andrew.
Beauty with purpose
In the wake of the Knysna Fires in June 2017, Former Miss South Africa, Demi Leigh Nel Peters, with the backing and support of Sun International and Cell C, launched a campaign on BackaBuddy to help rebuild her hometown after fires raged through the Garden Route.
Demi Leigh Nel Peters. Image credit: IMDB
Urging South Africans to support her cause for the Sedgefield Lions Club, over R625 000 was raised, exceeding the initial target of R500 000 to provide supplies for the families that lost their homes and livelihoods in the blaze.
A walk to remember
In September 2019, rape survivor and activist, Leilani Kuter (46) from Roodepoort, Gauteng, began a 27-day journey, covering a distance of 729km, to take a stand against sexual assault and gender-based violence in South Africa.
Wearing yellow, the colour her attacker wore, Leilani broke her silence, and raised over R260 000 on BackaBuddy to support rape crisis centers across South Africa. Read more.
Leilani Kuter: Image SPAR
With overwhelming support, Leilani has since launched a non-profit company, #YellowForSurvivorsand once again tightened her laces in September 2020 to begin a 448km nostalgic walk to fundraise in honor of survivors.
“Every step of my journey thus far is in defiance of systemic violence against women, men and children and a celebration of our collective survival spirit. Walking has become a big part of my healing process and I’ve learned, as I get older, that you can’t run away from your past. You need to confront it head-on in order to move on.” – says Leilani
In 2018, lead singer of Freshlyground, Zolani Mahola, who became a bone marrow donor 3 years ago, lent her support to The South African Bone Marrow Registry’s ‘Give a little, Save A Life’ campaign on BackaBuddy.
Funds raised by the campaign were used to assist four local children in need of a life-saving Stem Cell Transplant. With support from the public, almost R500 000 was raised to support the non-profit.
Zolani Mahola. Image: Zolani’s Facebook page
As there is a shortage of donors of African descent, Zolani encouraged South Africans of all ethnic backgrounds to register with the SABMR to help those in need of life-saving treatment.
“As a nation, we have a rich history of Ubuntu and we must continually find new ways of expressing it. With many of our donors coming from overseas, we need more donors of African descent. With the procedure itself not being the onerous and painful task it used to be, we have so much potential to make a difference at home” – says Zolani
Birthday for the birds
Upon learning that the Umgeni River Bird Park, was under strain due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Romario Valentine (9), an environmental activist, from Umhlanga, Durban, launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the sanctuary’s Inspire to Conserve program in lieu of birthday gifts.
Romario with his parents, Delsha Moodley and Clive Valentine.
With support from the public, Romario superseded his fundraising target of R15 000, raising over R30 000 to support his feathery friends on BackaBuddy with contributions from almost 100 donors. Read more.
For his hard work in supporting the Umgeni River Bird Park, Romario was allowed to celebrate his birthday at the sanctuary and was awarded a certificate of excellence!
Romario has also become an Ocean Sole ambassador, highlighting the damage caused by pollutants and their effect on marine and sea bird life.
He’s also since appeared on 50/50, and has been featured in National Geographic, SA Art Magazine and appeared in an article on Global Citizen.
Rising above her pain
In 2018, founder of Rise18, Zanele Hlatshwayo from Soweto, participated in 18 marathons, totaling over 648km to support The South African Depression and Anxiety Group.
Funds raised by Zanele’s campaign were used to fund SADAG‘s national suicide toll-free hotline in honor of her late father who took his own life due to depression.
With over R 200 000 raised on BackaBuddy, Zanele’s initiative funded over 10 000 phone calls to the crisis hotline. Read more.
“I found strength in my vulnerability and found a way to deal with my father’s tragedy through those who have shared their pain with me. I believe with Rise18, we have just scratched the surface, there is still so much that needs to be done” – Zanele
A climb to Everest Base Camp
In 2018, fifteen individuals, led by the founder of the Avela Foundation, Cami Palomo, began a 9-day trekking route, ending in triumph at 5,364 meters, at the base of Mount Everest in Lukla, Nepal.
Committed to the climb, over R 2.1 million was raised on BackaBuddy to kick-start Avela’s U-Matter program, an initiative to provide a psychological support network for burn survivors and their families.
Funds were also used to help refurbish Kimberley Hospital’s burn unit. In total, The Avela Foundationhas raised over R 3.7 million on BackaBuddy for various projects.
Among the hikers was William Baartman, who at age of three years old, was a victim of gross Human Rights violation when his home was petrol bombed by local students. He sustained 75% burn wounds and lost his younger sister, Grace in the fire.
William Baartman
“I was too afraid to leave the house because I was scared of what others might think and now I have climbed to Mount Everest base camp! I hope to send a message to those hiding from the world, that there’s hope for them, hope they think doesn’t exist.”- says William
Rainbows and Smiles
Rainbows and Smiles, an organisation that provides emotional, social, and financial support to families and caregivers affected by cancer have raised over R1.9 millionBackaBuddy through participating in various sporting events such as the Midmar Mile, the Comrades, and Two Oceans to name a few.
Founder of Rainbows and Smiles Bonita Suckling and Nadia Lewis at the Edenvale Marathon
The Smile Foundation
The Smile Foundation, a South African NGO that assists children with any type of facial abnormality, to receive free corrective plastic and reconstructive surgery, has raised over R1.7 million on BackaBuddy through a variety of projects.
The Smile Foundation, a South African NGO that assists children with any type of facial abnormality, to receive free corrective plastic and reconstructive surgery, has raised over R1.7 million on BackaBuddy through a variety of projects.
Support during the COVID-19 pandemic
#ImStaying feeds the vulnerable
The implementation of the national lockdown left many families in South Africa destitute without the means to earn an income and provide for their families.
To assist with food vouchers during this time, vital Facebook sensation and registered non-profit organisation, #ImStaying, raised over R1 million on BackaBuddy with contributions from almost 1800donors to feed over 24 000 vulnerable South Africans. Read more.
In total #ImStaying has raised over R 1.4 million on BackaBuddy for various projects.
Gift of the Givers Give Back
To raise funds to empower doctors, nurses, and medical staff across South Africa with the supplies and equipment needed for them to carry out the vital work they do, The Gift of the Givers, launched a campaign on BackaBuddy.
The campaign has thus far raised over R 1.4 million with support from almost 250 donors to purchase Manual and automated Ventilation equipment, Intubation equipment, Safety equipment for medical staff as well as medical supplies. Read more.
In total, The Gift of the Givers has raised over R 2.8 million on BackaBuddy for various projects.
With the University of Cambridge estimating the total crowdfunding activity in Africa to reach over R30 billion by 2025, we look forward to watching the crowdfunding industry grow from strength to strength.
“To build South Africa as a nation, we need ties that bind us in positive ways. We need to invest in each other and support each other in ways that cross over traditional boundaries. Crowdfunding brings people together in positive ways, around things that we are passionate about, giving us the opportunity to be part of something greater than ourselves” – says Schofield
Create your own crowdfunding campaign
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R200 Million.
As the class of 2020 looks to the future and many prepare for their tertiary studies, individuals across South Africa are faced with the challenge of securing funds for the year ahead to cover registration fees, text books, accommodation and the unexpected costs they’ll face on their new academic journey.
Click here to Raise Funds for your educational needs on BackaBuddy
For this reason, many students reach out to their family, friends and their wider community to avoid student debt by opting to raise funds for their education through crowdfunding.
Empowered to take responsibility for their studies, students pen their stories, film a short video appeal, set their fundraising target and take to social media with their unique campaign link to encourage donors to support their cause.
Take a look at these students and how they secured their university fees with a little help from their friends.
Xolisa
Xolisa Shenxani (18) from Sir Lowry Pass Village in Cape Town, has had his heart set on becoming a commercial pilot from a young age despite coming from a disadvantaged background.
Xolisa Shenxani
“I used to look up into the air and see helicopters fly over my house but I didn’t know what they were. I thought, ‘I would love to fly that thing!’, but I wasn’t sure if people could fly in it. I remember, in grade 1 or 2, a helicopter landed on the soccer field in Sir Lowry’s Pass and I got to see inside of it. That’s when I knew that I wanted to become a pilot!” – says Xolisa
Xolisa’s dreams were set in motion in 2019 after almost R200 000 was raised to fund his grade 11 and matric year at private school. Xolisa was taken by surprise when an anonymous donor contributed R 101 500.00 to his BackaBuddy campaign, leaving only a short message of support “Glo jy kan dit doen”
Xolisa’s mentor, Philip Bellstedt was happy to report that Xolisa passed matric with impressive results and achieved the minimum requirements to apply for the airforce this year!
Forgiveness
Over the last 2 years, Mulanga Forgiveness Kolela, a dedicated, hard working Congolese asylum seeker that has been residing in South Africa for the last 9 years has raised over R115 000 on BackaBuddy towards her Engineering studies at Stellenbosch University for BEng Mechatronics.
“I have set three long term goals for myself. My first goal is to get my Honours in Mechatronics. The second is to get my Master’s in Biomedical Engineering. My final goal is to eventually run a company dedicated to creating and making cost-effective medical devices for financially disadvantaged children with physical disabilities.” – says Forgiveness
Mulanga Forgiveness Kolela
Francis
After completing 2 years of study at the University of Cape Town, Frances Whitehead was awarded Golden Key Honours Society membership and placed on the Dean’s Merit list.
When her family faced financial struggles in her final year, Frances turned to crowdfunding to cover the cost of her tuition. With the support of donors both locally and internationally, over R130 000 was raised and Frances was able to access her second year results and register for her studies in n February 2019.
Randy
Randy Seda (21) always had dreams of becoming a chartered accountant. Showing that hard work pays off, Randy was decorated with the Golden Key Honours Society membership which is awarded to the top 15% of students at the University of Pretoria.
With his loving family unable to support his education, Randy set up a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, that raised over R350 904.98 which was payed directly to the University.
Randy Seda
Nissi
During the lockdown, Nissi Maguwa, a 23 year old fashion student at Fedisa Fashion School set up her crowdfunding campaign to cover her fees as both her parents were unemployed and unable to afford the cost of her education.
Illustrating her passion for fashion, Nissi put together a short video to introduce her campaign to potential donors. Her campaign has thus far raised almost R15 000 from kind donations.
As a student on BackaBuddy, you can raise funds if:
You are a public/private student
You are a foreigner living in South Africa
You are experiencing Financial exclusion
You can provide valid documents to support your fundraising needs.
What you can raise funds for?
Laptops
Registration
Accommodation
Transport
Tuition fees
Graduation ceremony
Sign-up on BackaBuddy to raise funds for your studies
Tell us your story by submitting this form and begin raising funds within 24 hours. If you have any questions, feel free to reach our to our team: [email protected]
Since the beginning of lockdown, Chad Nathan (27), a photographer, videographer and social media influencer from Sea Point, Cape Town, has been documenting the effect the coronavirus pandemic has had on the less fortunate in the Western Cape, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
In working closely with non-profit organisations in Cape Town, namely Cans With Purpose, Ladles of Love, Breadline Africa, and Courage, Chad felt it was his responsibility to ‘take action’ and use his platform to carry out random acts of kindness.
”With no cars on the road, it pained me to see people digging in trash cans looking for food. I could see how the homeless were going to suffer and I knew I had to do something about it” says Chad.
With a crowdfunding campaign called “Raising Hope”, launched on BackaBuddy, Chad set out to raise R100 000 to lend a helping hand to those in need.
After reaching out to his Instagram followers, he soon exceeded his fundraising target, raising over R620 000 with generous contributions from 1253 donors both locally and internationally.https://www.youtube.com/embed/mFtMlhLNyk8?feature=oembed
The Impact of ‘Raising Hope’
With the success of his campaign, Chad has been able to support over 35 non-profit organisations and communities across the country in dire need.
With funds raised:
Over R100 000 was donated to support over 850 refugees in Kensington with food, tents, clean clothes, toiletries and other essential items.
Over R80 000 was donated to Ladles of Love Soup Kitchen.
Over R80 000 was donated to Courage, a COVID-19 community response initiative.
Over R70 000 was donated to Afrika Tikkun’s Cans With Purpose project to feed families in need.
Over R30 000 was donated to Breadline Africa who build classrooms, toilet facilities, and kitchens in ECD centers as well as primary school libraries across South Africa.
Over R15 000 was donated to The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children as well as Uyinene Mrwetyana Fund to help victims of Gender Based Violence.
Over R15 000 was donated to Tears Animal Rescue, Woodrock Animal Rescue and Care For Wild Rhino Sanctuary to support animals in need.
Over R10 000 was donated to One Bag Full to help communities in Langa.
Over R8000 was donated to Living Hope to support the thousands of individuals displaced by the Masiphumelele fires.
With generous donations, Raising Hope, has fed many families in need.
As the number of coronavirus infections rise in South Africa, Chad is hoping to raise a further R400 000 with his campaign to support feeding schemes in Langa, Mannenberg, Hanover Park, Delft, and many more.
“I am so thankful for each and every person who has donated to my campaign and I hope we will get the chance to change the lives of many more people. Everyday thousands of South Africans are losing their lives, jobs and their livelihoods to this virus. Together we can ease the suffering and come out stronger” – says Chad
Make a donation to support the ‘Raising Hope’ project:
With the implementation of the national lockdown to flatten the curve of the COVID19 pandemic, many families were been left destitute without the means to earn an income and provide for their families.
Focusing on Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, Porky’s People, created a campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, which supported as many families as possible with food and other essential items during the lockdown.
Honoring social distancing guidelines, funds raised by their campaign was be converted into digital food vouchers that were redeemed at any local Shoprite supermarket.
The campaign went live on the 19th of April 2020 and has raised a total of R 14 803.69 with contributions from 36 donors.
“With our campaign, we have done our best to help as many people as possible on a first-come, first-serve basis. The public has joined us in raising funds as we strive to overcome this global pandemic.” – Porky’s co-founder, Theresa Pienaar
The platform also welcomed donations in the form of food parcels, if any individuals or small businesses would have liked to join their efforts to feed the vulnerable families during this time.
View Porky’s People campaign in feeding vulnerable families in Pietermaritzburg here:
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R270 Million.
Up until a year ago, Llewellyn Barnes (59) was a homeless man, living on the streets of Pretoria. Last March, against all odds, he participated amongst professional players in the Senior Tour, a major golf tournament.
A difficult childhood
At an early age, Llewellyn faced many obstacles. He became an orphan at the age of 10, after suffering the loss of his father who worked as a security guard. With his mom unable to take care of him and his siblings on her salary as a domestic worker, he was separated from his family.
He later found himself living in a hostel on Zwartkops golf course in Centurion and his sisters were placed in foster care in the Eastern Cape.
It was at Zwartkops, where Llewellyn’s love affair with golf began. He would attend school in the morning and in the afternoon, he would run to the golf course looking for caddie opportunities.
“I carried my first golf bag when I was only 10 years old. Those days, working as a caddie paid well. I was paid 30c for a day’s work, enough to buy bread and a cold drink. This is where my love for the game started. I dreamed that one day I would become a professional golfer“ – says Llewellyn
Pictured above: Llewellyn Barnes
At the age of 13, Llewellyn ran away from Zwartkops after suffering abuse from both teachers and students. He found himself in Durban, sleeping in a kombi and selling newspapers to support himself.
He later learned that his mother was staying in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and did his best to reunite with her.
“I never thought I would see my mom again. When I eventually found her, she was living with another man who didn’t have much time for us. They were always drinking and fighting and I knew I couldn’t stay there. I was soon sent to a school in Cape Town, but I didn’t stay long. What are you going to do when you are 18 and in Grade 8? I ran away.”- says Llewellyn
Llewellyn then went to stay with his grandmother, aunt and 3 cousins in East London. Instead of being welcomed, Llewellyn felt more like a liability and was pressured into finding a job. Being uneducated, his opportunities were limited and he struggled to find employment.
Experiencing hunger and homelessness
Instead of relying on his family, Llewellyn decided to go back to Zwartkops only to learn that the school had closed down in 1975. To make a small income, he returned to work as a caddie on the golf course.
“You don’t need to be educated when you are a caddie, you just need to know the game. I caddied for a couple of years, sleeping under a tree after a day on the golf course. On cold winter nights, the other caddies and I would make huge fires to stay warm, it wasn’t fun and it wasn’t easy, but we made it through together” – says Llewellyn
On days when work was slow, Llewellyn would dive into the Hennops river, even on cold winter mornings, in search of golf balls he could sell.
“Sometimes you were lucky, in the summer, when the floods would come, you would find hundreds of balls under the bridge. On days where I couldn’t find any balls, I would have nothing to eat.” – says Llewellyn
When the golf course underwent renovations and became a golf estate, Llewellyn had to leave. With nowhere to go at the age of 25, he was forced to live on the streets and face a world of uncertainty and danger. Despite his difficult circumstances, he found solace in playing golf whenever the opportunity arose.
On days when he found caddie jobs around Centurion, he would have some money to eat and a place to sleep for the night, other nights he would sleep in the bush or on the pavement.
“Life on the streets was tough but I had to manage. I had no one to look up to, no one to complain to. I had no family, no place to call home, I was alone. At night I would pray that the Tsotsies wouldn’t kill me. I slept with one eye open, waiting for morning” – says Llewellyn
An unlikely friendship
In January 2019, Llewellyn’s luck started to change. Upon hearing that he was homeless, the golf club where he was caddying offered him a storage container to stay in. Soon after Llewellyn made an unlikely friend by the name of Gareth Frost (45) who was running a ‘breakfast club’ on Saturday mornings for the homeless at Weirda bridge.
The pair connected through their mutual love of sport and in time formed a special and unbreakable bond. After breakfast one morning, Llewellyn took a leap of faith and told Gareth that he could play professional golf and all he needed was a sponsor.
Pictured above: Llewellyn Barnes and Gareth Frost
“I am used to requests from my homeless friends. They normally ask for a pair of shoes or shirts. When Llewellyn asked if I would like to sponsor him because he believed he could play professional golf, I didn’t think he was serious. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that there could be something special about this guy and I thought God was speaking to me.” – says Gareth.
For senior amateur golfers, the fastest way to get playing status in any major tournament is to make it through Qualifying School. Gareth followed the advice of the Senior Tour directors, learned the requirements and gathered the funds for Llewellyn to enter Q-School in January 2020. With second hand golf clubs and a prayer, they waited with anticipation for the first Q-school tournament.
Gareth’s advice to Llewellyn before the game has now become his motto “Every shot is an act of worship”. Showcasing his natural ability, Llewellyn silenced naysayers with a handicap of +2 despite not playing golf for over a year.
Struggling to hide his excitement, Llewellyn phoned Gareth to tell him the news that he had qualified as a professional golfer with provisional exception to participate in the Senior Tour, a major professional tournament part of the Sunshine Golf Tour.
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
To participate in the Senior Tour, that began in March last year, Llewellyn needed to cover his travelling and lodging costs. He also needed a new attire and a new set of golf clubs, as his pair of donated clubs will not be accepted for the professional tournament.
To ensure that Llewellyn looked his best among the other professional players and has everything he needed to make the most of this opportunity, Gareth and non-profit organisation, Fearless Love, created a campaign on donations based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, to appeal to the public to support this rising star.
The crowdfunding campaign was launched on 8 February 2020 and managed raised a total of R 137 452.00 towards the fundraising target of R 45 000.00 with contributions from 233 donors.
Pictured above: Llewellyn Barnes and Ilonka Esterhuyse, founder of Fearless Love.
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R270 Million.
