How Ndhlovu is entrenching philanthropy at DafriBank

Back in April 2020, when Xolane Ndhlovu, Chairman of DafriGroup, was among the first responders to contribute to the Solidarity Response Fund, created by the South African government to fight the coronavirus pandemic, little was known about his philanthropic nature.

But a year later, his reputation as a philanthropist par excellence has spread across Africa, and especially, in Nigeria, where Xolane Ndhlovu, whose father is Nigerian, recently helped a deported migrant, Victor Iken, with N1.6 million, to put his life back in shape.

Explaining the motivation for his philanthropic endeavours, he said: “We have developed a Group framework for community engagement and donations. The companies within DafriGroup have the freedom to decide what to sponsor and support within the framework of our policy.”

Continuing, he explained how this corporate philanthropy plays out with the donation of R50, 000 to Mr Mpho Moteka in February 2021. “The @DafriBank recent contribution to Twitter hashtag campaign SaveMphosBusiness is in line with our mission to help accelerate small business growth in communities where we operate and I’m happy to sign it,” he posted on his Instagram page.

Similarly, sometime in June 2021, a young girl, named Thuli, had reached out to him on social media with the heart-rendering post: “Morning Uncle Xoli, my name is Thuli I need a school bag and winter clothes, please. My mother is not working and my father is also not helping my mother. I walk to school and it’s very dark this side. I’m asking for you to help my mother with transport money and winter clothes. Please. Thuli.”

The 13-year-old had followed up with another message that was too emotional to ignore: “Morning Uncle Xoli, please don’t forget about me. We don’t have any food today. I don’t enjoy weekends at home because at least at school we get food.”

Predictably, Xolane Ndhlovu through DafriBank, one of his Group’s subsidiaries, had responded, the details of which he shared on his Instagram page: “Yesterday Thuli became the newest beneficiary of our monthly grant scheme. And for as long as she continues to work hard in school she is set to benefit from the scheme through to the university level.”