Singer and TV host Unathi Nkayi has expressed gratitude to fellow South Africans for helping raise over R150 000 for her childhood friend Pinda Potelwa.
“Thank you Mzantsi from the bottom of our hearts ♥️ Thank You,” Nkayi wrote on Instagram.
Potelwa’s family appealed for help through a crowdfunding initiative “Back A Buddy” for her medical assistance.
Potelwa was diagnosed with breast cancer stage 4, in December 2021.
The former “Idols SA” judge took to her social media page, asking her fans and followers to help with donations towards Potelwa’s treatment for cancer.
In her Instagram post, Nkayi asked her fans and followers to lend a helping hand in raising funds for Potelwa’s treatment.
“Tears are rolling down my cheeks as I type this. My chest is wet,” wrote Nkayi alongside a photo of Potelwa.
“She’s not just a buddy she’s my high school friend and hockey buddy Pinda who has stage IV cancer and is fighting for her life.
“Please help us raise funds for her treatment and donate whatever you can,” Nkayi said.
In the family statement shared on the fund-raising platform, Bonga Booi said Potelwa started chemotherapy earlier in the year and “upon completion, moved onto endocrine therapy”.
“By mid-September 2022 her pleural effusion had not subsided and Pinda was advised to start the second line of chemo.
“She has valiantly started chemotherapy again, but tumour marker test results from a week ago showed a shocking increase in disease prevalence.”
Booi said stage 4 cancer usually can’t be cured but treatment can help to prolong survival and improve the quality of life.
Fund-raising platforms such as “Back A Buddy” have seen many South Africans get much-needed financial aid. Last year, the South African public helped nearly R1.5 million for Kaya FM host Dr Sindi van Zyl, who was diagnosed with Covid-19.
At the time, her husband Marinus van Zyl took to social media and pleaded with Mzansi to assist with the payment of her medical bills.
Although, the popular medical doctor lost her battle against Covid-19 on April 10, 2021, the people of South Africa rallied behind her until the end. That is Ubuntu.
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