Johannesburg, December 2024 – A 51-year-old Blairgowrie man has been given the gift of sight this festive season, thanks to the generosity of HOT 102.7FM’s listeners and the station’s Hot Cares Christmas initiative.
Manie Hendriks – a programmer at the Justice Department in Pretoria – has just 5% vision and relies on magnifying technology to do his job. On top of that, he travels every day from Blairgowrie to Pretoria and back, using a combination of Uber trips, buses, and the Gautrain, despite his disability, relying on familiar shapes of buildings to know when it’s time to get off the bus.
The Hot Cares department was contacted by his girlfriend, Erna, after she researched and found a specialized device that could potentially change Manie’s life.
So, the Hot Cares Christmas team sent the station’s Head of News, Tara Penny, to Blairgowrie, to investigate and break the good news to Manie, after linking up live with the HOT 1027 Breakfast team of Simon Parkinson, Bunny Majaja and Simon Hill in the studio.
As part of the Hot Cares Christmas, the station will be covering the cost of the eSight 4 enhanced vision device, to the tune of R149 000!
Penny was on hand as Manie put the new device on for the first time and once it had warmed up, an incredible moment played out, as he saw girlfriend Erna properly for the first time!
“Yes, I can see her!” said Manie. “This is awesome. She’s laughing and she’s very beautiful! Thanks, guys. I can’t thank you enough.”
The Hot Cares Christmas kicked off on the second of December and runs until the 13th, with four recipients assisted every day, across the station’s four day-time shows.
“Manie’s story is a reminder that many of us take certain tasks for granted, such as simple procedures like brushing our teeth, or making a cup of coffee, whilst reading price tags, menus and forms is something almost impossible for someone like him, making him a more than worthy Hot Cares Christmas recipient,” said Lloyd Madurai, Managing Director of HOT 102.7FM.
It’s been quite a run for HOT 102.7FM, which raised a whopping R27.5 million in just 12 and a half hours at its annual Teddython Hot Cares charity fundraiser in November. This has given Hot Cares the financial means with which to help all of its Hot Cares Christmas recipients, along with its extensive work planned for 2025.
Hot Cares has a range of sustainable initiatives it supports.
It runs a weekly soup kitchen for the homeless, helps develop crèches in informal settlements, runs food banks for those in need and have no income to feed their families, assists entrepreneurs and NPO’s who require guidance, resources and awareness of their programs, provides medical assistance, assists with educational bursaries for students and the upliftment of schools, supports various animal shelters, and provides assistance to individuals who desperately need a helping hand.
