“Serah Mantombi Mahlangu is no more. Long Live Serah.”

A devoted community leader, pioneering entrepreneur, and fearless advocate for empowerment through creativity, Serah Mahlangu has departed this world, joining the many unsung heroines who shaped our communities through resilience and vision.

Born in 1954, She began her professional journey as a healthcare nurse. When the Rural Foundation, the NGO she worked for, closed its doors due to lack of funding, like many others in the early years of our democratic South Africa, She refused to be defeated by circumstance.

A respected and sometimes formidable elder of Phumula Section, Mhluzi Township in Middleburg, She turned adversity into opportunity. She founded Something Out of Nothing, a ground-breaking craft centre that turned discarded waste into beautiful, marketable art. This project became a beacon of innovation, self-reliance, and community upliftment.

Her work caught national and international attention. She featured in numerous documentaries and media stories, proudly representing her township and country. A humble globe-trotter, she received multiple awards and recognitions in the tourism and craft industries, earning acclaim for “simply selling something out of nothing.”

In 2002, during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, She was selected as an exhibitor at the prestigious Ubuntu Village, where she showcased South African lifestyle, music, and art to over 60,000 summit delegates from around the world.

Fittingly, She left us during Tourism and Heritage Month, shining a light on the very culture and heritage she worked tirelessly to celebrate and preserve.

A true ambassador of South African culture and tourism, she seized every opportunity to market the soul of our nation. From Tourism Indaba in Durban, to FACIM in Mozambique, and the World Travel Market in London, she proudly told the world about “the other South Africa”, which is the vibrant, warm, and creative heart of our country.

Her contributions extended beyond business. Her passion for her community saw her create jobs, mentor local artisans, and empower the youth. In her later years, she turned her heart toward children on the autism spectrum. What began as volunteering at a local school transformed into a personal mission. When the LSEN (Learners with Special Educational Needs) program was shut down, she founded her own NGO to teach life skills and handwork to these children, ensuring no child was left behind.

Serah Mahlangu was a woman of vision, compassion, and relentless drive. Her legacy is one of dignity, hope, transformation and above all, love. Her spirit lives on in every life she touched, every craft made from waste, and every smile she sparked through her unwavering belief in possibility.

She will be deeply missed by her children, family, the community of Mhluzi, and the people of South Africa.

• She will be laid to rest on Wednesday, 1 October

Home Service will be held at her home from 6:30 -7:30

Church Service at Our Lady of Fatima at 8:00-09:00

Burial will take place at Tokologo Cemetery, where she shall be laid to rest above her beloved mother.

With love and remembrance, to one of Middelburg’s iconic trendsetters.