Some stories stay with you long after you have put your notebook away. The Dotwana family’s story is one of those stories for me.

I met Ncebakazi and her daughter, Aliza, in 2021, when they moved from the Eastern Cape to Durban. Aliza was born with congenital glaucoma and is blind and deaf. Her mother had one goal: to give her daughter the best opportunities she could.

Also read: Umhlanga resident makes history at Kingsmead

They came to Durban looking for better healthcare and a school where Aliza could get the support she needed.

Aliza was eventually accepted into a specialised school in uMhlanga, with her fees paid by an anonymous donor after her occupational therapist, Caitlin Waters, shared the family’s situation on Facebook.

That post reached Lea Wimble, owner of Wimble Attorneys and founder of the NPO, The Gifted Project.

Ncebakazi thought the help with Aliza’s schooling was where the story would end. She had no idea what was still to come.

When Lea learnt that the family could no longer afford to stay in Durban and would have to return to the Eastern Cape, she reached out to them and decided that The Gifted Project would help them get a home of their own.

What happened next was something I was fortunate enough to watch unfold.

People in the community came together to help. What started as a story about a mother trying to find the right healthcare for her daughter slowly became a story about a family finally getting a place to call home.

When Ncebakazi and Aliza were eventually handed the keys to their new home, it was an incredibly special moment.

I followed their journey for Northglen News from 2021 to 2025. Over those years, I saw their happy moments, their disappointments, the waiting and the uncertainty. I also saw Ncebakazi keep going, even when things were difficult.

That is probably what makes the story so special to me. She set out looking for a better life for her child and, along the way, a community helped give them something she never imagined she would have.

As a journalist, you tell many stories. Some you write, file and move on from. Others stay with you.

The Dotwanas’ story stayed with me.

For me, it is also what community journalism is about. It is about telling people’s stories, but it is also about seeing the people behind those stories. Sometimes, putting a story out there can connect the right people and bring help to someone who needs it.

For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook ,X or  Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here