Wendy Cebekhulu

Most women abaziboni – they do not see the greatness inside themselves. From the moment they get up, they do so much for others, serve others, smile for others and right before they retire for the day, feed others, tuck them in and prepare to do this again and again – not even natural disasters stand in their way.

Take Wendy Cebekhulu for example, a mother of three, she was born in Eshowe and wanted to become a nurse. But like most young women from her community, that dream was never realised due to the harsh and unfortunate realities faced by many others in South Africa. But this never stopped her from looking for other opportunities. Her relationship with SPAR started with her working as an outside merchandiser through a company called Engage. Her drive and dedication were noticed by her manager who recommended her to SPAR. Wendy soon had a job interview and a day later, she was a SPAR employee.

This was great news, not only for her but as the sole breadwinner, she was now able to provide for her family. As a merchandiser at SUPERSPAR KNOWLES, Wendy starts her day as early as 4 am making all the necessary preparations for the home before going to work. She describes herself as a humble, loving, friendly person who is always ready to help others. Her idea of an extraordinary woman is one who is powerful, successful and independent - and having a job at SPAR means she can be all these things. Her demeanour changes when she remembers the 2022 floods in KZN, where people lost their friends and loved ones. Over 400 people lost their lives, and Wendy, together with her children, could have been among those.

On that tragic night, after it had rained for almost two days, Wendy woke up to a thundering noise. Her neighbour’s house had been destroyed with the trapped occupants screaming for help. There was no way to rescue them as the bank behind the house washed out, taking away parts of Wendy’s house, and filling the rest of it with muddy soil. Covered in cold, wet sand up to their necks, the trauma lasted hours as Wendy tried to free herself and the children. It took all her energy, and she thought it was the end of all their lives. Fortunately, members of the community came to their rescue and pulled them out of what used to be her home. Staying at a neighbour’s house with five other families, SPAR provided them all with food before they were moved to a nearby church community hall.

SUPERSPAR Knowles, with the help of her line manager, continued to support Wendy and the other families for a month by providing food parcels and clothing. The owner of KNOWLES SUPERSPAR reached out to Build It, and working together, they donated all the materials needed to rebuild Wendy’s house. She simply runs out of words in expressing her gratitude. “I had not even been part of the team for long and they were prepared to go all out for me. I was even told to take all the time I needed before coming back to work… They are also paying for my fees, and I want to use that education to repay them by furthering my knowledge to become an even better employee. Hopefully, with the studies, I can even get a promotion,” she says.

There are many other women just like Wendy, women who keep the lights on, women who put food on the table, and women who get everyone else ready before they must go to work themselves. To them, it’s just what they do. To all these women: SIYANIBONA – we see you! This is why more than half our staff complement at SPAR South Africa is made up of people like you. Because at SPAR, we believe that employing more women is not only empowering them, but it also means we are changing our communities for the better.