Joyce Buthelezi is a primary school teacher in the small town of Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal. With over 15 years in service Ms. Buthelezi has been a true source of light and compassion to her students, co-workers and community. As a counsellor to the young learners, she has been able to create a safe space for them in a time where bullying and the difficult challenges of their home lives had proved too tumultuous for the young people in her care. For the community she has cultivated conversations on being environmentally conscious by spearheading a recycling initiative in the area, planting vegetable gardens and distributing that to learners and families that are less fortunate. Due to the unrest and riots that engulfed parts of our country, a number of parents in the community lost their jobs, subsequent to that Ms. Buthelezi arranged with the Department of Social Development to deliver food parcels to the children’s households to facilitate stability and food security which impacts so much on their learning outcomes. As an extension of her work to give vulnerable young people and their families the best shot at a better life, she actively advocates for promising learners to access funding to study further and have access to better opportunities and outcomes. For learners who may not have a familial infrastructure to help with the school work, she stays longer at school to help them with homework or test preparations. ‘Integrity means to be unwavering in my beliefs no matter the situation.’
