The Springs SPCA has bid farewell to their shop assistant, Thandiwe Nkosi (42), who has worked at the society since June 2021.

Nkosi, who resides in Tsakani, is leaving the SPCA to become a Grade R teacher in Mpumalanga from March.
She told the Springs Advertiser that she will truly miss the shelter and the Springs community.

Thandi, as she is known by her colleagues, joined the shelter after working for 14 years as a domestic worker. She said that her younger brother, Morne van der Linde, asked her if she could help with washing the blankets at the Springs SPCA, and she agreed.

She also said that while she was helping with the blankets, she would, from time to time, step in and assist with cleaning the shop and sorting out donations.

“I realised the shop was not making enough money, and I felt the need to step in. When I was given a chance to work there, I realised I had to make a difference after seeing so many animals being abandoned and neglected by their owners. I promised my manager that I would make her proud,” shared Nkosi.

Her proudest moment at the shelter was being there every day. She expressed that she was very proud of herself because she knew she was making a difference every single day.

“All the fundraising I did was successful; we would often get more than we were expecting. I did not only save animals; I touched the lives of both people and animals -homeless people, elderly people, and children. I am very proud of myself.”

Over the past five years, Nkosi expressed that it would sometimes be overwhelming because if they did not have enough donations, it became a challenge, but apart from that, it was challenging in a good way.

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In a Facebook post by the local animal shelter, Nkosi was credited with turning the shop into the financial backbone of the branch. Nkosi said that she was able to set goals and targets so that she would meet her targets every week.

With every job comes challenges, and she said she has faced bullying, having to deal with arrogant and rude customers and also theft from the shop.

“I overcame this by setting boundaries and explaining to them the reasons why we have the shop in the first place. There are people who come to the shop to steal from us, and it broke me a lot because we are struggling, yet you get people who come to take chances,” added Nkosi.

What kept Nkosi going through the difficult times was believing that she was destined to be the voice for the voiceless and was serving her purpose to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.

She said she was able to serve with love, passion, dedication, and hard work. Nkosi concluded with a message to the community and the animal lovers by saying thank you all for the time shared together.

“You are the best, and you are dearly loved and appreciated. You will be missed so dearly. This isn’t goodbye, it is ‘see you soon again’.”

The SPCA wished Nkosi well in her new endeavours and thanked her for her time at the animal shelter.

“Thandi, you truly have a heart of gold. While our shop won’t feel quite the same without your energy, we know those future students of yours are the luckiest kids in the world to have you as their teacher.”

“Thank you for being our champion, our fundraiser, and our friend. We will miss you more than words can say.”

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