Ikamva Labantu

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Ikamva Labantu We are committed to creating sustainable socio-economic change in Cape Town’s township communities

Supporting the young and old in Cape Town's townships for over 50 years.

An evening rooted in connection.Friends of Ikamva Labantu has wrapped up three special benefit performances of South Afr...
22/10/2026

An evening rooted in connection.

Friends of Ikamva Labantu has wrapped up three special benefit performances of South African actor and playwright Bo Petersen's one-woman show, Pieces of Me, in Falmouth, Boston and New York.

What connects this play to Ikamva Labantu’s work is addressing the effects of apartheid’s lasting impact across generations, family by family. These evenings became more than performances. They created spaces for listening, reflection, and meaningful connection.

Our heartfelt thanks to Bo for sharing her story, to the venues that so generously hosted us, and to everyone who joined us and contributed. Your support and donations help us continue our vital work alongside older people, children and families in Cape Town's townships.

We look forward to partnering with Bo in the coming year to bring Pieces of Me to more communities in the US - watch this space!

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/charles.chessler.2025

Sometimes innovation is a friendly neighbour.For many frail and homebound older persons living in Cape Town's townships,...
21/10/2026

Sometimes innovation is a friendly neighbour.

For many frail and homebound older persons living in Cape Town's townships, accessing care is not always easy. Limited mobility, transport costs and difficulty reaching essential services can leave older persons isolated and without the support they need.

At Ikamva Labantu, we believe care should reach people where they are.

Through Umelwane, meaning friendly neighbour, our award-winning home-based care programme identifies, trains, supports and pays local community members to provide care and companionship to frail and homebound older persons in their own homes.

But Umelwane is about more than a friendly visit.

Our trained community carers check on older persons' wellbeing, help identify concerns relating to health, nutrition, medication and mobility, and recognise signs of neglect, abuse or increasing frailty.

They also help connect older persons and their families to essential services, working alongside Ikamva Labantu's professional team of nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, as well as other public services.

Through regular visits and trusted relationships, Umelwane helps ensure that older persons who might otherwise remain unseen are connected to care, protection and support.

In 2025, our home-based care programme supported 688 frail and homebound older persons.

What makes this approach innovative is not the idea of neighbours caring for one another. That spirit of Ubuntu has always existed in our communities. It is the investment in local people, equipping them with skills, support and opportunities to strengthen care within their own communities.

This Older Persons Month, we celebrate the Umelwane who are helping older persons age with dignity, care and connection.

Learn more about our older persons programme https://www.ikamva.org.za/what-we-do/older-persons/

20/10/2026

Older people deserve to feel safe, respected and cared for.

Elder abuse isn’t always visible. It can be neglect, being left hungry, having a pension taken, or feeling unsafe at home.

Many older people face this in silence. Ikamva Labantu provides support through social workers, Senior Clubs and home-based services, while also offering guidance and support to families and caregivers. Together, these services help ensure elders are connected, cared for and protected.

Call Ikamva Labantu: 021 361 0909

If you know an older person who may be experiencing abuse or neglect, speak up. It could change a life.

16 senior clubs. 16 simultaneous Circles of Care events. One shared commitment: protecting our elders from abuse. This ...
01/10/2026

16 senior clubs. 16 simultaneous Circles of Care events. One shared commitment: protecting our elders from abuse.

This International Day of Older Persons, Ikamva Labantu is bringing older persons together with SAPS, government departments, healthcare providers, social services, and caregivers across Cape Town’s townships.

These Circles of Care are about more than one day. They are about building stronger, lasting networks of protection and support around older people in our communities, helping ensure our elders live with dignity and safety, not just today, but every day.

As Lulama Sigasana, Ikamva Labantu’s Older Persons Programme Manager, says: “Together, we are sending a clear message that elder abuse has no place in our communities.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing elder abuse, speak up: Call 0800 10 11 10 or contact us:
https://ikamva.org.za/contact-us/

Today, on International Day of Older Persons, we celebrate the older persons who have helped build our families and comm...
01/10/2026

Today, on International Day of Older Persons, we celebrate the older persons who have helped build our families and communities, and who continue to shape them every day.

We honour them not only for what they have done, but for everything they continue to contribute through their care, wisdom, leadership and presence.

Here’s to our elders. Today, we celebrate you.

Happy Heritage Day, South Africa.Today, we celebrate the cultures, traditions and stories that make us who we are.We als...
24/09/2026

Happy Heritage Day, South Africa.

Today, we celebrate the cultures, traditions and stories that make us who we are.

We also celebrate the spirit of Ubuntu, the shared humanity that connects us and reminds us of the strength we find in caring for one another.

At Ikamva Labantu, we are privileged to see that spirit in action every day, across generations and communities.

Happy Heritage Day!

"I want to say that nothing hurts like people calling you a witch." - Elderly Woman, Focus Group DiscussionDementia is n...
22/09/2026

"I want to say that nothing hurts like people calling you a witch." - Elderly Woman, Focus Group Discussion

Dementia is not witchcraft.

Yet many older people living with dementia, especially women, are wrongly accused of practising witchcraft - leading to stigma, isolation, abandonment, and even violence.

Dementia is a medical condition that affects the brain. Memory loss, confusion, difficulty recognising people, changes in behaviour, or wandering from home are symptoms of the disease, not signs of witchcraft.

Together, we can replace fear and harmful stereotypes with education, understanding, compassion and support.

If you or someone you know is experiencing elder abuse, speak up: Call 0800 10 11 10 or contact us: https://ikamva.org.za/contact-us/

Make your next birthday extraordinary.Instead of gifts, invite your friends and family to celebrate with you by supporti...
18/09/2026

Make your next birthday extraordinary.

Instead of gifts, invite your friends and family to celebrate with you by supporting Ikamva Labantu.

Pledging your birthday is easy:

1. Create your birthday fundraising page.

2. Set a fundraising goal and share why you’ve chosen to pledge your birthday.

3. Share your page with friends and family and invite them to support your fundraiser.

And of course, you can still have cake.

Funds raised will support Ikamva Labantu’s work with children, young people and older persons in Cape Town’s township communities.

Ready to pledge your birthday? Visit ikamva.org.za/birthday to get started.

Many older people stay silent out of fear or shame through emotional abuse, neglect, financial exploitation or violence....
16/09/2026

Many older people stay silent out of fear or shame through emotional abuse, neglect, financial exploitation or violence.

Every older person has the right to protection, respect, safety and support under the Older Persons Act.

If you suspect an elderly person is being abused, speak up. Report it to a social worker, local organisation or SAPS. Call 0800 10 11 10 or contact us: https://ikamva.org.za/contact-us/

Together we can make our communities safer for our elders.

“If we give children a strong foundation, they can grow.”For Nonkosini Sonca, that belief has shaped more than a decade ...
15/09/2026

“If we give children a strong foundation, they can grow.”

For Nonkosini Sonca, that belief has shaped more than a decade of working with children in her community.

After years of working as a childminder, Nonkosini knew she wanted to do something different. In 2013, she attended a parenting workshop organised through Ikamva Labantu. She left with a decision:

“I need to serve the community now.”

The following year, she opened Zamokuhle Educare in Khayelitsha.

Since then, Nonkosini has continued to grow the centre while investing in the people around her. Through Ikamva Labantu, she and her practitioners have received practical ECD training to strengthen their work with children. Today, four women from the community work alongside her, each leading her own class.

One of those practitioners, who has worked with Nonkosini since 2018, is now completing her Level 5 qualification.

For Nonkosini, that growth matters.

“I am willing to uplift them so that they can eventually open their own centres.”

Her dream is bigger than one ECD centre. She wants to see more children given a strong start, more women equipped to lead, and more opportunities created within her community.

“If we can give them that foundation during those first five years in ECD, I am telling you, we can have graduates.”

At Ikamva Labantu, we work alongside community leaders like Nonkosini, equipping ECD principals and practitioners to create strong foundations for children to learn and thrive.

Visit ikamva.org.za to learn more about our Early Childhood Development programme.

Address

1st Floor, Hills Building, Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock
Cape Town
7925

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 16:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:30
Thursday 08:00 - 16:30
Friday 08:00 - 15:00

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