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A Tableview teenager who was wrongfully accused of burglary had to endure eight months in prison before finally being released after CCTV footage emerged proving his innocence.

The 19-year-old Sihle’s troubles were however not just confined to being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. While in prison, his mother tragically passed away, and after his release, the poor kid had to learn that his home had been ‘taken over’.

After all, he had to endure, Sihle ended up sleeping on the streets in front of a police station, hoping for a bit of safety after a homeless shelter turned him away after three months.

His experience reminded him of a talk given by Springbok Captain Siya Kolisi during a visit to the prison where he was incarcerated, and in desperation, the young man reached out to the Kolisi Foundation for help.

The foundation was true to its motto of “Remember the one, one by one”, and to his surprise, Rachel Kolisi personally contacted the desperate young man to offer assistance. Inspired by Sihle’s strength and the sadness in his story, the Kolisi Foundation is trying to help him turn his life around.

“I’ve come across so few people that are this resilient and so few people who have overcome what he has overcome.”

With the assistance of the Kolisis, Sihle has now found a shelter to provide him with a home and has enrolled in courses to complete his matric and receive computer skills development, so he can have a better future and follow his dreams.

To cover his basic living costs such as food, transport, and toiletries while staying at the shelter, the Kolisi Foundation has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy which has already raised over R33 000 towards their fundraising target of R150 000 with kind contributions from 86 donors.

“I think it’s important for all of us as South Africans to realize that this is the state of our nation, and this is the state that people in our country are living in. Sihle’s story is so important because it’s not just his story. It’s so many other people’s stories in our country.”

This act of kindness was plastered across all the newspapers and is just one example of how ordinary, and extraordinary South Africans, take care of each other despite our challenges.

We only see the bad news, but if we scratch below the surface of corruption and entitlement, we will see the good that seldom makes the headlines.

Take note ‘Real Housewives of Mzansi’. Privilege is a gift and responsibility, not something that should be flaunted. Class is quiet, trash is loud.

By simply caring, Rachel Kolisi has quietly done more for an unfairly treated kid than any Real Housewife of the Winelands has ever done. And in the process, South Africa is a tiny bit better.

What has our president’s wife done lately?

[source:sagoodnews]