Meet Ita: A mother of Fisantekraal

You cannot imagine a lovelier, warmer, more approachable person than Almarincia Botha. Not that anyone calls her that! To her family, friends, neighbours, and the wider community of Fisantekraal, she is simply and affectionately known as Ita.

Ita lives just a few doors down from Alletta's Soup Kitchen, a place that feeds far more than stomachs — it feeds hope. The kitchen operates from the heart of a small, tight-knit neighbourhood that borders an informal settlement. The need is vast. Many people (especially children!) rely on the soup kitchen not only during official cooking days - generously funded by other kick-ass NPOs and individuals - but also at all hours in between. Thanks to ongoing support from our Mandela Day Food Drive project (happening now - please help us reach our goal!), Alletta is now able to offer meals even beyond the scheduled cook days, ensuring that when someone knocks — day or night — there’s something warm and nourishing to give.

Ita is Alletta’s right hand. For the past three years, she’s been the head volunteer of the operation. “All my volunteers work so hard, and care so much. Ita is no exception,” says Alletta, beaming with pride. “She’s dedicated her life to this work.”

But the bond between these two women stretches well beyond the kitchen counters. They grew up together on a farm outside Fisantekraal; their mothers were best friends. That friendship, stitched through generations, still holds strong.

“Ita has been through so much,” Alletta says quietly. “If you don’t know where she came from, you won’t understand how beautiful she really is.”

Ita’s early years were unimaginably hard. She lost her mother at a young age and was taken in by relatives. Though still a child herself, she quickly took on the role of caretaker to younger children in the household — and not by choice. “It was very difficult,” she shares. As she speaks more openly, a vivid picture begins to form in my mind. “You were Cinderella,” I remarked. “Yes, exactly!” she agrees, without hesitation. “But I’ve moved on from that. I’ve forgiven.” The weight of her past hasn’t hardened her; instead, it has carved out strength, resilience, and deep compassion.

Today, Ita is the very embodiment of community care. If it takes a village to raise a child, then Ita raises a village. Though she and her husband, Ricardo, nicknamed Hannes, don’t have biological children, they’ve opened their hearts and home to two adoptive daughters: 16-year-old Chaney and little Aaliyah, who’s five. “I never thought I’d have a teenager in the house!” Ita laughs. “But they bring me so much joy.”

Their home is often filled with the sounds of children — Alletta’s kids and baby granddaughter visit so often that they’re truly part of the family. And Hannes? He’s just as involved as Ita. Together since their late teens, the two share a relationship marked by quiet strength and deep mutual support. Ita reflects on a particularly difficult time two years ago, when her father passed away and Hannes suddenly lost his job at a local compost company. “Alletta and her family were our pillar during that time,” she says. But true to form, Hannes didn’t stay down for long.

Today, Hannes runs his own transport service for schoolchildren, many of whom live on outlying farms and would otherwise have no way of getting to school. “It’s something he really loves,” says Ita. They’ve even started saving toward a new, more reliable vehicle to ensure these children continue to get where they need to be, safely.

Their home is humble, but full of warmth — and recently, it got a well-deserved upgrade. With help from the One Percent Movement and the kind donations of local supporters, Ita and Hannes’ kitchen was refurbished. “The house feels bigger and lighter!” Ita says, beaming as she opens cupboard doors and shows off her new oven. “I love to bake. There are lots of family birthdays coming up — I can’t wait to get started.”

The kitchen, long the centre of their home, is now a space of joy and ease. And for a woman who pours so much of herself into feeding others, it feels deeply right that her space now nurtures her, too.

This transformation was made possible by the incredible generosity of Estelle du Plessis, who donated the kitchen cupboards, and David Goode and his team, who went out of their way to ensure they were carefully removed. As always, we’re beyond grateful to Alex and James — our favourite carpenters/plumbers/handymen/miracle-workers — for their time, craftsmanship, and good humour that always makes every project a little lighter.

Ita, we see you. We see your beautiful heart and soul. We see the quiet, tireless care you pour into your community — day after day, meal after meal — with no expectation of thanks or praise. You are the beating heart behind so many full bellies, joyful laughs, and second chances. We honour you. We celebrate you.

And to everyone who played a role in making this kitchen refurbishment a reality — from donated cupboards to expert hands, from generous hearts to encouraging words — we see you too. Your contribution, no matter how small it may have seemed, has become part of something much greater. Together, we are building not just kitchens, but kindness. Not just homes, but hope.