Meet St Francis Care Centre’s new chairperson

The St Francis Care Centre is now under the leadership of Advocate Xolisa Hilita, who recently took over from former chairperson Themba Ntshalintshali, who died last year at 95.

Hilita joined the Bar in 2016 and holds both a B Juris and LLB degrees.

Before joining the Bar, Hilita worked for several law firms and corporations, including Adams & Adams, Webber Wentzel, Edcon, Alexander Forbes and Sasol.

His practice areas include intellectual property, banking, insurance, constitutional law and general commercial litigation.

Hilita explained he met centre manager Tilly Brouwer and Matron Winnie Dlamini at the Commercial Crime Court, where they were pursuing a case against an accountant who had defrauded the centre of millions.

“We started talking around 2017, and from there I began donating groceries whenever I could.

“Later, they asked if I would be interested in joining the board since they had no legal person. This led to my service on the board for several years under the late chairperson,” he said.

The future
Hilita acknowledged the future of St Francis looked uncertain at times.

“With the introduction of younger blood, we should embrace new ways to source funding. With a centre like St Francis and the vital work they do, we cannot rely entirely on the Department of Social Development and the Department of Health.

“I would like the centre to be sustainable and able to continue its work.

“We need to encourage greater involvement from board members to secure funding, whether through our business contacts or other means.”

The support the centre has received from institutions such as The Barnyard Theatre encourages the new chairperson.

“Unfortunately, Covid-19 caused many funders not to provide support. This means we need to roll up our sleeves and reconnect with them as things are normalising, ensuring we secure more funding for the centre,” he added.

“We have our regular activities, like Mandela Day, but also want to introduce new initiatives, such as fêtes, to raise additional funds.”

Community involvement
Regarding the centre’s involvement in the community, Hilita said: “I believe the home-based care model needs to evolve.

“We also want to strengthen our community involvement by actively engaging with the caregivers and seeing firsthand what they are doing. It is something I committed to, so that I can fully understand what the centre is doing.

“This will help us entrench ourselves in the community and ensure that people truly appreciate the centre’s work.”

St Francis Care Centre is a registered NPO catering to dozens of vulnerable children and adults, most of them suffering from threatening and/or life-limiting conditions.

Anybody who would want to assist the centre may contact them on 011 894 4151.

Also Read: Books help St Francis patient heal