The plastic car and its wobbly wheels were pushed up the ramp. The ramp was an old, cracked kitchen tile, placed against a half-broken brick to resemble a roof. The makeshift car clacked up the tile, onto the brick, and came down the other side. The kid who was moving the car around the imagined house and garage setup made up of tiles and bricks wore dirty, toeless crocs, some hand-me-down t-shirt and shoes. He looked up and squinted at Bongani, his older brother, who just smiled at him. “I used to build the same things”, Bongani said to me as we all stood around watching his brother.
Bongani Maticka was from a small farm in the middle of the Karoo in the Eastern Cape called Steinsburg. A nothing town, that equally for most people have a very bleak outlook and future. You grow up on the farm, all you know is the farm, you work on the farm, and that’s life. However, Bongani’s parents had other plans for him. Plans for him to break out of the poverty circle that so many kids and parents alike get sucked into. Bongani was a bright boy, excelled in school, excelled in rugby, one of the frenzied national sports of South Africa.
He realized early on that the only way he was getting out, and making something for himself, was through education. That road was not easy. At one juncture, a 12 year old Bongani was told by the principal of the high school that the hostel was unlivable, to which Bongani replied, “I’ll make that decision for myself.”
15 years later, early in 2025, Bongani took me to that hostel. It was unlivable. But kids were still living in it today. Bongani noted, “It was worse when I was here …” as he peeked into a bathroom that had taps dripping, graffiti everywhere, most of the tiles broken, no seats on the toilets, no privacy in the showers, and not a single mirror unbroken. You could see the memories flooding back to him as he sat on one of the frames of the beds in what you couldn’t even describe as a bedroom.
“I can’t believe I lived here …” he muttered.
“I can’t believe I made it out of here …” as he lifted his chin up and looked at me with an astonished look.
You see, Bongani was the very first recipient of funds from the Amy Bell Charity Foundation in South Africa. A charity spearheaded by Irvin Tam and Chinese-South African who loves to hunt.
It was because of hunting that Amy Bell came into Irvin’s life.
It was because of hunting Amy’s pay it forward ethos caught fire and has grown into a foundation that feeds and educates hundreds of kids a year.
It was because of hunting that Bongani is now one of the youngest up-and-coming architects in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
Bongani walked me through a community entrepreneurship center he designed and helped build. “You designed this?” I asked.
“Yup, I’m very proud of this”, he smiled and looked around.
“I’m essentially paying it forward for each of these children and shop owners to now have an opportunity as I had”.
Touché Bongani. Touché.
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