Benoni community stalwart Margaret Bennett dies age 85
Through her Sunstove movement, Margaret literally brought nourishment to tens of thousands of impoverished families.
Longtime grassroots activist and longtime resident of Benoni, Margaret Bennett (85), died on October 13 following a short illness while visiting her children and their families in England.
Well known in Benoni, Margaret lived her life with conviction, clarity, and compassion – whether through the Girl Guide movement, various Friends working groups, as a Reading Gogo, or as a Kids’ Haven volunteer.
However, perhaps most notably, Margaret was the founder of the one-woman NPO Sunstove, which enabled rural women to cook meals using the power of the sun.
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Through her Sunstove movement, Margaret literally brought nourishment to tens of thousands of impoverished families.
More than 30,000 of her Sunstoves – manufactured from recycled printing plates and designed to be simple and durable – found their way into rural homes and communities.
She turned sunlight into sustenance and then constantly experimented with suitable foods, even surprising her children by sun-boiling eggs in their black socks.
Margaret also produced a solar cooking recipe book, solved packaging problems, promoted Sunstoves at every opportunity, and delivered them to the Crystal Park post office, from where they found their way to destinations around the world.
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A consequence of this was a collaboration with Canada’s Raging Grannies, who committed to annual visits, taking consignments of Sunstoves into the hills of Lesotho for people struggling without fuel for cooking fires.
Margaret regularly accompanied them and demonstrated her Sunstoves, always delighted to be freeing women from the endless chores of collecting firewood and stirring pots.
“Margaret didn’t just talk about the planet’s wellbeing,” remembers her son-in-law, Willis Mitchell. “She lived it, breathed it, and wove it into her every act of kindness.
“Her life was an affirmation that wisdom is not in words alone, but in deeds that touch the world.”
To her children, Joanne Mitchell and Christopher Haslam, she was more than a mother; she was a confidante, an anchor, and a constant reminder of what it means to live with purpose.
The extent of her interests and activities was vast, ranging from the Girl Guide movement – many will remember her as their Brownie Guider at the 5th Sikisi Pack in the 1970s – to various croquet, Scrabble, bridge, and birding clubs.
Over the years, she was involved with Friends of Suikerbosrand, Friends of Korsman, the Garland Ladies Luncheon Club, and the Trefoil Guild, and was even a member of the decidedly unglamorous community group overseeing the Weltevrede waste disposal facility.
In all, she was full of ideas, action, and enthusiasm.
In her rare free moments, Margaret was a keen and generous vegetable gardener, as well as an avid reader. She quietly stepped in to lend a hand when friends needed to be ferried to medical appointments or to run errands.
“Margaret was a larger-than-life character whom many of us were privileged to call a friend, colleague, buddy, ally, and soulmate,” recalls her lifelong friend, Vivienne Ridyard.
“We are bereft. The memories will never fade.”
Margaret, who was born on September 3, 1940, is survived by her children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and numerous friends.
Over the years, Benoni City Times reported extensively on community work and projects Margaret was involved in.
She never hesitated to jump in where need arose.
Below are some more of the articles featuring Margaret Bennett – and her incredible Sunstove solar cooker:
Enjoy an afternoon at the movies
Cook your food on a SunStove solar cooker
