Be kind to one another, is the message Bantu Zotwana (43), resident from Welgelegen, wants to spread.
Bantu Zotwana was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1997.
But Zotwana gives back to the community despite his struggles with mental health.
The month of October has been declared Mental Health Awareness Month by the South African government, with the objective of not only educating the public about mental health, but also reducing the stigma and discrimination that people with mental illness are often subjected to.
Since his diagnosis Zotwana has become an author and motivational speaker on mental health, speaking widely across Cape Town about schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disease.
Zotwana says he is just a normal helpful and caring citizen doing his part.
“I do not have much, but I’m willing to share a meal with others that don’t have. I’m blessed to have a roof over my head and food every day,” he said while he handed out snack boxes on Monday 17 October in Monte Vista.
Most men sit there the whole day looking for work.
“I gave a smile to someone after a hard day at work.”
Disability grant only source of income
Fiona and Tadan, two of the recipients of Zotwana’s snack boxes, said they appreciated that they can take something sweet back home to their children.
Zotwana also donated to the Solidarity Fund during the first wave of Covid-19 even though he is unemployed. And his only source of income is a disability grant.
“I just felt doing it spiritually, out of my heart,” Zotwana says.
Seeing that it is Mental Health Month, Zotwana says he always tells the audience and people to be kind to the next and make them smile “because you don’t know what they are going through. It feels good to give a little something to the next.”
Zotwana says that you can live a healthy normal life with the right medication and support (family, community and professional), therapy and looking after yourself.
