“There is nothing more fulfilling than helping someone who can’t pay you back,” says Shalati Mabunda, a woman who has been cooking hot meals for the homeless monthly for over a decade. This is Shalati’s way of making a difference:
Johannesburg, South Africa (07 January 2025) — “There is nothing more fulfilling than helping someone who can’t pay you back,” says Shalati Mabunda. It’s a sentiment she learned at a young age and in a different home to the one she now lives in. Although the house isn’t the same, the principle is: In Shalati’s house, hope is always on the menu.
During office hours, Shalati is a staff member at Wits University’s Education campus. But when she’s off the clock, Shalati and her family can often be found busy in the kitchen, preparing food for the hungry and downtrodden.
In childhood, Shalati’s elders were no strangers to helping those who needed help. They lived in Mamelodi East and knew a thing or two about offering relief to people who needed it in one way or another.
“Our house was on the main road next to the bus stop and my parents were always welcoming to those who needed a glass of water or to pass water after a long commute,” Shalati recalls. “These strangers and neighbours would often exit the gate with a full stomach.”
Years later, in 2009, in her own home, Shalati began a simple monthly initiative to cook meals for the homeless in Windsor East. Dubbed ‘Christ’s Footsteps’, the effort sees the whole family get involved to serve around 35-50 people, typically on a Saturday. Meals include helpings of pap and stew.
Shalati’s means of making a difference at present is something of a stepping stone for what she ultimately wants to achieve.
Per Wits University, the ‘Christ’s Footsteps founder’ is also pursuing her honours in Community Health Psychology with plans to open an NGO to serve the homeless in a bigger way.
Shalati was selected as one of the Wits staff members who had their stories shared far and wide as key players in community betterment. You can support her initiative by contacting her at Shalati.Mabunda@wits.ac.za.
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