Our Story
Where it began
Sakhe Family Care Development Centre was born in KwaNomzamo, Humansdorp, from a simple conviction held by our founder, Thanduxolo Buka: strong families are the foundation of strong communities. For more than a decade, we have worked to turn that conviction into practical, everyday support for the people of the Kouga Local Municipality.
Our communities carry heavy burdens — unemployment, poverty, gender-based violence, substance abuse and families under strain. We saw early on that these challenges feed one another, and that no single programme would be enough. So we chose to respond to the whole person, the whole family and the whole community.
Small beginnings, big commitment
We started with very little. For years, our programmes ran from a small office in KwaNomzamo whose roof leaked every time it rained. What we lacked in space, we made up for in commitment: counselling individuals and families, hosting fatherhood and marriage enrichment workshops, raising awareness about gender-based violence, and helping young people discover their direction.
A turning point
In 2020, a local property owner gave us permission to use a building in KwaNomzamo that had stood empty and vandalised for more than ten years. With the support of our community, we began bringing it back to life. Skilled ex-offenders placed through the Department of Correctional Services helped with the renovations, Woodlands Dairy donated furniture and fencing, and many other donors gave what they could.
That same year, as COVID-19 reached Kouga, more than a hundred Sakhe volunteers carried health awareness into local clinics and gender-based violence awareness into communities across the municipality. It was proof of what we have always believed: when a community is given the means, it will rise to meet its own challenges.
What we do today
Today, Sakhe works across four connected pillars:
Psychosocial support — counselling, parenting programmes, marriage enrichment, our Fatherhood Strategy and community dialogues on GBV, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.
Youth development — life skills, career guidance, computer literacy and job-readiness training for young people in and out of school.
Livelihoods and economic empowerment — sewing skills from basic to production level, food gardening and support for home-based enterprise.
Access and infrastructure — a community computer lab and a growing centre where families can find support in one place.
The difference we make
Over the years, Sakhe has reached more than 50 000 people and helped create more than 1 133 work opportunities through our programmes and public employment partnerships. Fifty-eight women have completed our sewing programme, many going on to start home-based businesses. In 2023, Kouga Municipality celebrated one group of our graduates by presenting each woman with her own sewing machine — a moment that captured what Sakhe is about: skills, dignity and a real start.
None of this has been achieved alone. We are grateful to the government departments, municipality, businesses, trusts and individual donors who have walked this road with us.
Looking ahead
Our dream is a fully equipped Multi-Purpose Community Centre in KwaNomzamo — one place where a young person can apply for a job online, a mother can learn a trade, a couple can find support, and a father can find his voice as a role model. We are building it step by step, together with the communities of Kouga.
Be part of the next chapter
Vision
Thriving, resilient, and self-sustaining families and communities across the Kouga Municipality — where every individual has access to the skills, support, and opportunities to lead a dignified life.
Mission
To deliver holistic, evidence-based community development programmes that strengthen family systems, develop youth potential, reduce unemployment, and build safer, more empowered communities through psychosocial support, skills training, and economic empowerment.
Values
Dignity
every individual is treated with respect and care
Family
strong families as the foundation of strong communities
Empowerment
equipping people with skills for lasting independence
Accountability
transparent and funder-accountable
Community
rooted in, and led alongside, the people Sakhe serves
Our Team
Thanduxolo Buka
Managing Director
Linda Ntlemeza
Programmes Manager
Unathi Nxiba
Finance Officer
Sinazo Putsu
Office Administrator
Maronique Magiellies
Social Worker
Akhona Masebeni
Social Worker
Sethu Mbamba
Social Worker
Evenique Hoffman
Social Worker
Asenathi Noyakaza
Catalyst Facilitator
Sibulele Madyibi
Chairperson
Silindile Nongalo
Treasurer
