A crowdfunding campaign to help a Stellenbosch University (SU) security guard get his driver’s licence raised six times more than its initial target, within just 24 hours.
Masizole Wellington Ngqubungu, better known by the students as Wellington, was left amazed by the outpouring of support from the community last week, after a BackaBuddy campaign to fund his driver’s licence raised more than six times its initial target.
Masizole Wellington Ngqubungu has been working as a security guard at Stellenbosch University for 26 years and is amazed by the outpour of community support in his BackaBuddy campaign. PHOTO: Nerine Pienaar
Wellington has been working as a security guard at SU for 26 years and recently made it his goal to obtain his driver’s licence so he could work as an Uber driver after his shifts.
“I want to drive so that I can manage to support my family,” he said. Wellington hoped to travel to Mthatha in the Eastern Cape to complete his driver’s licence, but he needed the funds to do so. Suggestions from his followers on Instagram, where he regularly shares content about himself with SU students, prompted him to start a BackaBuddy campaign.
What started as a goal to raise R5 000, quickly gained momentum, with donations exceeding R30 000 in less than 24 hours.
Donations reached 623% of his goal in less than 24 hours. PHOTO: Screenshot/BackaBuddy
“From my heart, thank you to every single person who contributed, shared, or reached out. Your kindness and support mean more to me than I can put into words,” Wellington said in an Instagram post. “When I told my family about your support and how our future is now brighter than ever, we all couldn’t stop crying.”
Punyuzwa Ngqubungu, Wellington’s wife, also expressed her appreciation towards the community. “It means a lot for me and my family, because we really needed it,” she said. “Now we have something that helps us.”
During the recent flooding in Stellenbosch, Wellington’s house in Kayamandi was among those damaged. These funds can now also go towards repairs.
Wellington is well-known and loved by SU students. Lilja Flohr, a second-year BA (Philosophical, Political and Economics) student at SU, who manages Wellington’s Instagram and TikTok accounts, helped him start his BackaBuddy campaign.
Lilja Flohr, a second-year student at Stellenbosch University who assisted Masizole Wellington Ngqubungu with his BackaBuddy campaign, poses with him on his birthday earlier this year. PHOTO: Supplied/Lilja Flohr
“We both didn’t expect such huge, generous feedback. We were very, very amazed by how quick and willingly people responded to help him,” she said. “He always brings such a motivating moment to people’s lives, I think, which is why he has such a big following.”
Lilja said that the idea to start a BackaBuddy campaign initially came from suggestions in the comments on his Instagram account. “It was really his community that really made it possible,” she said. “This changed his life forever. We’re all just very happy and very moved by the support.”
Visit this link to donate to Wellington’s BackaBuddy campaign.