As a result, Tumelo was no longer to perform his duties as a car guard at Heidelberg Mall and his financial predicament had reached a point where he pretended to be cooking, by boiling water so that his four- and six-year-old children would stop crying of hunger.

Although the money he received from motorists was barely enough, he managed to provide for his family with the little that he received, but the lockdown sent him into total despair.

Little did Tumelo known that things would turn out for the better after he reached out to DJ Fresh from the popular radio station 94.7FM, in a letter.

Every day, Fresh Deeds and the FreshOn947 team help people from Johannesburg and surrounding communities with their immediate needs. Since the start of the lockdown, 94.7FM had joined forces with Spar to help families with food vouchers/parcels worth R2 000.

It was during one of these shows that Tumelo nominated himself to be considered for a food voucher and this is what he wrote: my name is Tumelo from Ratanda. I am 28 years old, a single father of a boy (4) and a girl (6). I would like to nominate myself. I used to work at Heidelberg Mall as a car guard to feed my family, but now things are tough. Last night my kids cried the whole night because they could not handle the hunger anymore. I took a pot, filled it with water and made it look like I was cooking something until they fell asleep. DJ Fresh, I am a man but last night I cried the whole night after watching my kids go to sleep without anything in their stomachs. It was so painful. Please help me, guys. If I can get this voucher, I will share it with my neighbour because she is a single mother with an 8-month-old daughter. We are both suffering. Before the lockdown things were better. Please help us guys.

Tumelo’s cry for help and subsequent voucher award tugged at the hearts of not only the production team but thousands of listeners during the broadcast.

“Tumelo, your children are lucky to have a dedicated father such as yourself. Stay strong but do not forget it is okay to cry because you are a man do not think it’s unmanly to cry,” DJ Fresh commented as he awarded Tumelo the R2 000 Spar voucher.

A Spar food voucher can go a long way for a person or a family that is struggling to provide for their families. People can visit Fresh Deeds Lockdown Edition with Spar to nominate anyone who they think may need assistance. For more information on Fresh Deeds, visit: https://www.947.co.za/features/fresh-deeds-with-fresh-on-947