Mom's Day at Maponya

Members of the Pick n Pay Maponya Mall Stokvel Club had a celebratory day, complete with entertainment and pampering.
ABOUT a hundred women from Soweto were treated for Mothers’ Day, courtesy of the Pick n Pay Maponya Mall Stokvel Club.

Pearl Thusi entertains mothers at Maponya MallPearl Thusi entertains mothers at Maponya MallThe do was hosted on 12 May, the day before Mothers’ Day is officially celebrated, at the Primi Piatti restaurant at the mall. They were welcomed by a group of traditional Zulu dancers who delivered a stunning performance.

The chairs and tables were covered with red and white cloths, and the first surprise was the programme director, Pearl Thusi. Thusi is known for her role in the popular SABC1 drama Zone 14. She is also a presenter on the well-known celebrity gossip show, Real Goboza, which is also on SABC1.

As if she was not enough of a surprise, she introduced Clint Brink, who plays Tino on ETV’s Scandal soapie. Brink had the women cheering – a jack of more than one trade, he entertained the moms with his sweet voice as he sang a few tunes for them.

He spoke about his relationship with the supermarket, saying he used to work at a Pick n Pay in Cape Town as a shelf packer. He said he had wanted to sing for the mothers because they play a very important role in society.

“Mothers make sure that we have homes and grow up to be what we are today,” he explained.

Pick n Pay Maponya Mall Stokvel Club is a joint initiative between the two entities. Explaining its formation, Mandisa Mzizi, the marketing manager of Maponya Mall, said they had realised that the majority of shoppers belonged to stokvels.

“The club is open to the public,” she said. “There are no joining fees. When people sign up, they get a card that allows them to get discounts.”

When the initiative was launched, Mzizi said they saw fit to acknowledge the buying power of black women. “The reason this initiative is a great milestone is that it shows how much in touch we are with our community; by bringing brands closer to the women who make up a large part of the target audience,” she said.

Elizabeth gets pamperedElizabeth Mazibuko gets pamperedVoted the number one shopping centre, the mall’s initiative has 300 stokvels and more than 300 000 members. The bubbly Thusi, who was obviously enjoying some time with the elderly mothers and grandmothers, said since the death of her grandmother, she really connected with older women a lot.

She really liked the idea of women being recognised because communities were nothing without them. “Their value needs to be celebrated,” she added.

The 24-year-old, who is also a co-owner of Ayana Africa, a modelling agency, said she had a four-year-old daughter. She had a special message to young, single mothers: “You can still succeed even though you are raising a child alone. You are capable. God will not give you something that you cannot handle.”

She encouraged them to be the best they could be for their children.

Elizabeth Mazibuko was one of the mothers treated on the day. She said they had heard of the club on the radio and had joined. “I will never forget this day; it is just the best,” she said as she was getting her nails done.

She had never been pampered like this in her life. “This is the best Mothers’ Day gift, thank you Maponya and Pick n Pay.”