Cida Foundation UK

Godfrey Siyabulela Solani (“Siya”) was born in Ezondeka, a rural area in King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape province on 29 August 1981. He grew up as a herd boy, helping his father with their cattle and goats when he was not in school.

In 1990, his parents separated, leaving Siya and his mother and brother no choice but to go live with his grandmother, who was already looking after his aunt’s two girls. At first, Siya’s father came to visit from East London every two weeks or so. He gave the family some money here and there, and even bought Siya glasses when he needed them in 1993.

In 1999, Siya finished school and was ready to go to university. Sadly, he had no intention of doing so, as there was no money for what almost seemed like an extravagance. His father had even refused to replace his now useless glasses, telling him he didn’t need to focus so much now that he was no longer at school. Siya resigned himself to working at a construction company, where he spent two years making mud and carrying bricks. At one point, he thought that perhaps if he re-did his high school studies and got really top marks throughout, maybe then he could receive a scholarship.

Fortunately, Siya’s school principal remembered him in 2001, when CIDA City Campus had asked the school to recommend students to apply for a scholarship and a place at the university. Siya quickly put together his application to this university he had never heard of. When the news came that he was accepted and could begin in 2002, he was beside himself with excitement.


Although he couldn’t wait to begin university, Siya did not even know how he would manage the bus fare to Johannesburg from the Eastern Cape, or even how much it would cost. He went to his father to ask for money, who gave him R120 and said he couldn’t help him any more than that. Siya managed to save R180 from the work he was doing, and his grandmother went round asking neighbours and friends if they would help. She gathered another R100. And so Siya began the 14-hour bus journey to a place he had never seen and where he knew no one. From the R400 he had found, R120 went on the bus fare. He arrived in Johannesburg at 4.30 am and proceeded to look for 54 Commissioner Street, where CIDA was based. Somehow he got there, and waited until the doors opened, as he had nowhere to stay.

CIDA helped him with accommodation, as he did not have the R300 for a month’s rent plus deposit. By February he had about R30 for the month. He again rang his father, who told him he had no money for him. He coaxed what was to be a final R200 from his father.

By this time, Siya had been without glasses for 2 years. Now that he was focussing on lectures and studies, his eye trouble resurfaced. People on campus told him he should talk to management, so he went to CIDA CEO Taddy Blecher and told him of his predicament. Taddy decided to buy him the glasses from his own pocket, as well as pay for an eye test. CIDA was only a couple of years old as this point, and did not have a lot of funding in place. Taddy also gave him R50 a month until he managed to find a sponsor.

During his second year at CIDA, Siya’s grandmother and aunt passed away within a month of each other. By this time, his father had his own house and was married to his second wife. His mother and brother had no place to stay, so Siya encouraged them to go back to live on the land his father owned. His father was totally against this, however, and told him he wanted nothing to do with them. So, Siya asked CIDA to help him find part-time work. His schedule became incredibly hectic: classes from 9 - 3, then straight to his part-time job. Whatever time was left, he would study. It soon became clear, however, that the money he earned was not enough to support his brother and mother, who could not work because of a disability. In April 2004 Siya took on a full time position, working from 12.30 - 8pm. This of course conflicted with his studies, and meant he simply had to skip entire courses because he didn’t have time to attend them. He was, however, able to save R2,000 to buy a new pair of glasses, as the pair given to him two years before had already become ineffective.

In January 2005, Siya had earned just enough to allow him to switch back to part-time. It was a great feeling to be able to return to his studies, but the glasses he had bought less than a year before had not prevented his eye condition from worsening. A doctor revealed to him that in fact without cataract and laser surgery at R20,000, he would be blind within 2 years. Siya was out of options; there was no way he could save that amount, even in two years.


Today, Siya is recovering from the first operation, which removed the cataracts as well as the right lens, which was replaced. He is not working now because he was instructed to rest his eyes until September 2006, when the laser surgery will be done.

“CIDA has changed the way I see things—literally,” said Siya in August 2006 when CIDA Foundation UK spoke to him on campus. “It was hurtful to see other people graduate on 12 August this year, which should have been my day, but actually I realised it was a blessing, because I was still at CIDA when I needed help to get my eye operation.”

“I came to CIDA with no glasses, and CIDA gave them to me to help me see. Over the years I spent at CIDA, they taught me so much, and helped me see things I never understood before. I will graduate in August 2007 and leave CIDA not just without glasses, but without needing glasses—because they taught me to see. CIDA has changed me as a person—socially, spiritually, emotionally, mentally… I have not got enough words to describe my appreciation.”

Siya would like to work in Human Resources after graduation, because he likes working with people and looking at the organisation from the perspective of its staff and their level of motivation.