What happens when a radio show, a charitable organisation, and a community join forces? On the Cape Flats, it meant 501 children received a Christmas they will never forget.
Western Cape, South Africa (25 December 2025) – The Cape Flats knows struggle more intimately than most places. But this December, it also felt the warmth of something powerful: community. What started as a simple Christmas initiative on Radio Tygerberg’s Lift Klub snowballed into a celebration of humanity, with listeners gifting joy to 501 children.
Radio Tygerberg’s popular afternoon show, Lift Klub (weekdays 15:00 to 18:00), hosted by Mike Potgieter and Rouchelle Liedemann, set out with a heartfelt mission: invite listeners to donate a Christmas gift to a child living in an area facing daily hardship, gang violence, and systemic inequality. Their focus landed on the Cape Flats, where many children grow up surrounded by instability but still dare to hope for something better.
In partnership with the non-profit organisation It’s Amazing, the Lift Klub team aimed to collect 500 gifts, one for every child who attends the organisation’s programmes. It’s Amazing runs Babbelbekkies playschools, aftercare and holiday care initiatives, and projects for teenagers. These spaces are often the homes of dedicated “aunties” in the community, women who open their doors daily to provide safety, food, structure and love. They are the ones keeping little ones off the streets, offering childhood where the world sometimes tries to take it away.
Listeners were asked to drop off a wrapped Christmas gift, labelled by age and gender. What unfolded next was pure magic.
Grannies missing their grandkids arrived with toys. Families who felt fortunate brought more than one gift. People facing heartbreak or personal challenges still chose to give, holding on to empathy like a compass. Some donors shared that they were giving because they understood what it felt like to have nothing. Others came in quietly, placing gifts down and walking away before emotions spilled over. But every parcel, no matter how small, carried something priceless: intent. Dignity. Care.
By the time It’s Amazing founder and director, Lisa Truter, arrived to collect the gifts, they filled a combi to the brim. The count? 501 presents.
“These gifts were given with so much love,” said Truter. “My hope is that every bit of that love travels straight from the hands of the givers to the hearts of the children on the Cape Flats. It will mean more than words can say.”
For Lift Klub host Mike Potgieter, the lesson was simple yet profound.
“Whenever we do projects like this, I start off thinking that we are the ones blessing the kids. But as soon as the project gets going and you meet the listeners who get involved, you realise very quickly that we are actually the ones receiving the blessing.”
Radio Tygerberg Station Manager, Rikus van Rooy, reflected on the moment and the bravery of those doing the work every day.
“Since the station’s inception 32 years ago, it has always been our mission to inspire and impact our community. It makes my heart sing when our listeners buy into that mission and help us make a real difference. Thank you to everyone who was part of this Christmas project, spreading love and joy to the children served by It’s Amazing. These children face immense hardship every day, and we also honour the It’s Amazing team who have made it their life’s work to serve this community. Just last week, one of their workers was hit by a stray bullet in Heideveld. Thankfully she is recovering, but it reminds us that these teams quite literally put their lives on the line to do good.”
This isn’t just about presents. It’s about presence. It’s about a community showing up for children they may never meet, simply because kindness asked them to. It’s about ordinary South Africans creating extraordinary impact, one wrapped gift at a time.
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