South Africans have a very particular set of skills, and at the top of that list is our ability to organise a braai at lightning speed.
Give us 10 minutes, and we’ve got the WhatsApp group buzzing. Someone’s bringing the wors, another is handling the garlic bread, and there’s always that one person who promises to bring ice and pitches up with a bag of NikNaks. The fire gets going, the beers are cold, and before you know it, the whole thing runs smoother than a rugby team’s game plan.
So why do we act like making a difference in our communities needs weeks of planning, extensive paperwork, and a government-level approval process?
The truth is, social change doesn’t have to be complicated. If we can pull off a spontaneous Saturday braai with military precision, we can absolutely organise ways to give back, without the fuss.
The idea that “doing good” requires huge time commitments or massive bank balances is outdated. Just like a braai comes together when everyone brings something, social change works the same way. Small contributions, whether time, skills, or a few rands, add up to a big impact.
Let’s break it down into chip and dip-size chunks:
Virtual Volunteering: If you can scroll TikTok for an hour, you can spare 30 minutes mentoring someone online. Skills-sharing, tutoring, or offering advice? Easy.
Micro-Donations: We spend more on extra cheese at Nando’s than it takes to support a good cause. Giving R10 here and there doesn’t break the bank, but if enough people do it, it changes lives.
Workplace Giving: If your office can organise a Secret Santa, they can organise a donation drive. Get your company to match employee contributions, set up payroll giving, or sponsor time for staff to volunteer. Simple.
We Know How to Show Up, So Let’s Do It More Often. When there’s a crisis, South Africans step up. We’ve crowdfunded medical bills, rebuilt homes, and stocked food banks for struggling communities. But why wait for a crisis?
If we treated giving back with the same enthusiasm we have for a public holiday, we’d build stronger, more connected communities every day. Look at the impact we make as nation when we come together for Mandela Day, and that’s just 67 minutes out of the 525,600 minutes we have in a whole year! It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming, life-consuming mission, it can be as natural as deciding to braai on a Friday night.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s fire up the social economy!