A businesswoman from Harare in Khayelitsha, Nolitha Ndalasi, is making significant strides by changing the lives of many disadvantaged people in her community.
Ndalasi, the founder of Sinethemba
Community Organisation and an ambassador for Clover, was awarded two certificates during the Clover Mama Afrika Summit Awards 2025, held in Mossel Bay on Saturday 31 May.
The awards are an annual event recognising the achievements and dedication of the Mama Afrikas, who are community leaders and are supported by the Clover Mama Afrika project.
Ndalasi walked away with the Social Media Overlord Award for social media compliance or adheres to all relevant laws and regulations of the company, and the Special Recognition Award, for excellent community work.
Ndalasi said the recognition came as a surprise. However, it was not the first acknowledgement by Clover.
In 2023, she received the Cleanliness and Neatness Ambassador Award, while last year she claimed the Most Improved Award. “These two certificates were made specifically for me. I’m the first person to receive such awards from Clover. I was awarded because of my role in uplifting the people in my community. I’m doing a lot of projects in my organisation. I’m a jack of all trades,” she laughs.
Through the Sinethemba organisation, Ndalasi is conducting various projects to uplift the community, which include sewing, beading, egg-laying, food garden, selling chickens, running an ECD, and doing mosaics.
Sinethemba is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Harare that conducts various community upliftment initiatives.
Elaborating on how it all started,
Ndalasi said that her NGO began operating in 2018 after she registered an Early Childhood Development (ECD) to care for children. “I’m living my dream now. My dream is to help society and change the lives of people through our projects. I started with a crèche, then I expanded as time went by. Besides that, I’m also creating jobs for the community. I have more than 80 people working in my organisation on different projects,” she explained.
Ndalasi said she resigned from her job as Community Development Directorate from the Department of Local Government in 2021 and focused on her business. She described her secret as putting God first, stating that every morning when she wakes up, she prays, and she prays again before going to bed in the evening.
The single mother of two urged other women to stand up and do whatever it takes to survive and stop relying on others. “As women, we are born to be managers by nature because we are the ones who manage our families. Many families exist because of women. We plan everything in the house in the presence of our spouses. Why can’t we take our God-given wisdom and use it for our benefit and stop being dependent?” asked Ndalasi. However, she emphasised that she doesn’t condone gender-based violence.
