The man who sacrificed three years of his life for the community of Nelson Mandela Bay, ensuring that learners cross the “bridge from hell” to get to school safely without being raped or robbed, hopes to hand over the reins soon after he recently lost everything in a fire.
Thamsanqa Nkevu, who was honoured for his selfless community work by winning The Herald Citizen of the Year Award last year, believes that this was an attempt on his life, especially since his work at the bridge has been deterring criminals for years.
Although the main structure still stands, the inside of Nkevu’s house is completely gutted, as is the structure in the backyard. There is a huge opening in the fence outside his house, a clear indication that it had been cut for someone to gain entry to the property in KwaNobuhle. He also discovered more than one set of footprints leading to the house.
Nkevu, who wasn’t at home when the fire started, is devastated and has decided to only continue working at the bridge until April next year, with the hopes that someone would be willing to take over.
PE Express has previously reported about Nkevu, a reverend, former lecturer and skilled martial artist, who invested all his time in helping his community after a car accident forced him into retirement.
For the past few years, whether it was in the pouring rain or scorching heat, Nkevu got up every morning at 04:00 and made his way to the open field across Solomon Mahlangu High School to help learners cross the bridge safely.
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Since the area is surrounded by bushes and the bridge is out of sight when standing in the street or at the school, it had become notorious for robberies and rapes.
These incidents decreased drastically since Nkevu took up his post and he believes that this is why he has been targeted.
For the past year, Nkevu also opened up his home to the community, where he would provide assistance and counselling to those who were fighting drug addiction.
He also used his home to help students apply to tertiary institutions and ran feeding schemes for the needy.
None of the outreaches can now take place as there is nothing left of his home.
“It’s a house that I had recently renovated this year and have given to my community to be used for community -related purposes. I was giving up my private residence so that it can be used for community matters but this is what they have done to it in their attempt to take my life,” a despondent Nkevu said.
“They thought that I was inside the house. It’s crazy that they wanted to burn me inside my own house,” he said.
“In this house, I have helped over 200 kids apply to Eastcape Midlands College. I have opened up my home and my house to everyone in need of assistance and was also using it to help those with drug-related problems.
“I have bought matric jackets and paid for matric students to go to school; I’ve helped pay for funerals and never walked past a child that doesn’t have school shoes; the list is endless. I just can’t believe that this is how things have turned out.
“I gave the kids at the bridge three years of my life and put everything I am and everything about me on hold just to make it possible for them to go to school. That’s all I wanted to see.
“The outreaches went as far as Lapland (Tiryville) and once in Gerald Smith, where they were busy shooting while we helped the kids. I’ve been there, I’ve given everything and it was never for money; I did it out of love for my community.”
Nkevu said that he didn’t report the incident because he does not want to waste another second thinking about the culprits.
“I won’t give them that satisfaction. Although I have decided to retire from the bridge in April, I will still be spending most of my time visiting schools and addressing issues of addiction, violence and bullying,” he said.
