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Langalakhe Mabena, [email protected]

Imagine, grannies gearing up to kick winter with trendy authentic sneakers, from Air Jordans 1 to 12, Nike, Adidas, Yeezys and the latest designs of All-Star Converse!

Well, that was made possible by Bulawayo Sneaker Expo organisers, as they donated 32 pairs of original sneakers to elderly people residing at Ekuphumuleni Geriatric Nursing Home in Mzilikazi on May 12.

The donated pairs were sourced at last year’s edition of the Bulawayo Sneaker Expo which took place on October 22, where hundreds of people were gathered at the Barn to exchange, buy, flaunt and talk about all things sneakers.

Founded by Mlamuli Moyo of Woodies Shack and Mthulisi Moyo of Wood Affair who are both religious “sneaker men,” the Bulawayo Sneaker Expo made a call to its patrons to donate their pre-loved sneakers, which were then cleaned by Juluka, a sneakers laundry company, to be then donated to Ekuphumuleni.

Ekuphumuleni representative Miltah Nyathi said the handout (of sneakers) will go a long way in helping the elders by providing them with warmth as winter is coming.

“Thank you very much for the donations. It will go a long way in assisting our elders and patients, especially during this time of winter.

It’s very rare for young people like you (Sneakers Expo) to dedicate their time and visit such a place with something in your hands.

Thank you very much on behalf of the administrator and the matron,” said Nyathi.
Bulawayo Sneaker Expo has old people at heart. One of the organisers Davison Feliate said they will continue to work with

Ekuphumuleni as part of their corporate social responsibility and lending a hand to those in need.
“On last year’s edition of the Sneaker Expo, we did a charity drive where we asked guys to come to donate pre-loved old pairs of sneakers but wearable.

People came out in numbers and they donated. We then partnered with Juluka, they offered to clean the shoes for us for free, hence, their contribution to the cause since it was a charity drive.

“We have been considering quite a few places where we can donate.

The first port of call was for us to go physically and see the people we intend to donate to, as we are dealing with adult sizes. We also wanted to deal with an organisation that is compatible with the product we had for donation.

“For our visit to Ekuphumuleni, we liked the place as the matron was very welcoming and receptive to us and we felt at home. We spoke to the elders whom we connected with very well and we just felt this is the right place where we will donate these items,” said Feliate.

Ekuphumuleni is not only an old people’s home but it’s a convalescent old people’s nursing home, which accommodates elderly people who are suffering from chronic diseases.

The Bulawayo Sneaker Expo has taken it upon themselves to continue working in hand with Ekuphumuleni to meet their day-to-day needs.

“Before we took these donations, we asked the matron to let us know what we can help them with apart from shoes. She mentioned that they need adult diapers for the elderly at the home. Some of them suffer from chronic illnesses.

“They are relatively old people who have a dire need of these diapers and going forward, we will try and mobilise with our partners and our team and see how best we can assist as far as that is concerned,” said Feliate.

Present during the donation, representing Bulawayo Sneaker Expo, were Feliate, Mlamuli Moyo, Simbarashe “Mkhonto” Nembaware (content creator) as well as Nastassia Herbert; who is Bulawayo Sneaker Expo brand ambassador.