Emalahleni – Koketso Nobela’s journey began in a mud house structure in Burgersfort, Limpopo. “Whenever it rained, my mom would take us to sleep at the neighbour’s house because she feared the walls would collapse,” she recalls. “We would return in the morning to find it still standing, but those nights taught me humility, resilience and faith.”
Growing up in poverty was not only a material struggle but also a battle for self-worth. “I experienced embarrassment in front of my peers because of poverty, but I thank God’s grace that our situation changed. That’s why I want to help the less privileged because I know the pain of lacking and how it affects one’s confidence,” Koketso recalls.
Today, Nobela is a qualified Business Administrator working at Eduardo Construction. However, her most meaningful work takes place beyond the office; it happens through her non-profit K Mother of Nations Foundation (KMONF), which she describes as “a ministry that touches hearts while transforming lives.”
Nobela’s journey toward establishing KMONF began with volunteer work. “Before I founded the foundation, I was serving under another NPO and that’s where my courage grew,” she said.
One of her earliest solo acts of kindness was organising festive gift packs for young men struggling with drug addiction in her community in eMalahleni. “I was scared to approach them,” she laughs. “But my sister joined me and we went. When they said, ‘No one ever thinks about us,’ my heart broke and that’s when I realised this was my calling.”
From its humble beginnings in December 2023, KMONF has carried out numerous outreach projects, including providing Christmas groceries to families in need, donating school uniforms to orphans and running sanitary towel drives to fight period poverty in rural schools. The foundation has also supported hospitals, shelters and disability centres, always leaving behind not just material gifts, but renewed faith and hope.
Yet the work is not without challenges. “Finances are our biggest struggle, we fund everything from our own pockets. But passion drives us even when resources are limited, we push forward,” she said, adding that each outreach is an act of faith and love. “When we knock on a door with groceries, that person might have been suicidal the night before. We don’t just bring food, we bring back their hope. We remind them that God still remembers them.”
KMONF now has 16 ambassadors in Emalahleni, each contributing financially and spiritually to sustain the work. They meet regularly for prayer, encouragement and team building — guided by their code of conduct, which centres on humility, compassion and service.
Their impact continues to grow. Over the next three to five years, Nobela envisions KMONF owning land to build a multipurpose centre — a place where the homeless can find food, unemployed gain skills and families in crisis rebuild their lives. “We want to go beyond giving,” she said passionately. “We want to teach people to stand on their own. Skills can change lives permanently.”
For Nobela, success will not be measured by fame or fortune, but by legacy. “One day when I’m gone, I want people who’ve seen what K Mother of Nations does to continue the work, to keep touching hearts and impacting lives. That’s when I’ll know my purpose was fulfilled,” she said.
