Stefano selected a charity that does some serious work in Soweto. SOHACA (Soweto HIV/AIDS Counsellors Association) do a lot of work for the gay and lesbian community in Soweto. They are the only organisation in Soweto that young gay and lesbian youth can go to for guidance. They also deal with victims of corrective rape as well as offer HIV/AIDS treatments and counselling. Stefano was recently selected to be the spokesperson in Gauteng for the Gay Flag of South Africa. The Gay Flag of South Africa also spends a lot of time trying to raise funds for such organisations. They recently did a tour of South Africa touring the flag to various parts of our rainbow nation. The flag stands up against corrective rape and it was through the Gay Flag of SA that Stefano learnt of SOHACA.

Stefano called on all his friends to buy a raffle ticket for only R5 and the response was overwhelming. With hundreds of people tweeting and Facebooking, his charity drive quickly became a trending topic in South Africa. Thanks to Michell Sierra of Gorgeous Hair Nail & Body and Patrick Main of the Pyramid Day Spa, who were the first to offer prizes for the raffle. Blaque Magazine, Soul Candi and the Old Mutual Theatre on the Square also contributed prizes to the raffle. The race began at 09:30 and within a few hours some awesome local celebrities had contributed. Carol Ralefeta of Metro FM was the first celebrity to give a big donation. Following after her a long list of celebrities dug in their pockets and contributed to this worthy cause. Celebs like Pabi Moloi, Joelle Kayembe, DJ Fresh, Anele, Catherine Grenfell, T-Bo Touch, Zakes Bantwini, Mi Casa, Bailey Schneider, Vuzu’s Lalla, Vanessa Carrera, Clint Brink, Lunga Shabalala, Bonang Matheba, Roxy Burger, DJ Cosmo and Deep Fried Man.

“I was beyond overwhelmed by the amazing response. SOHACA is one of those organizations that a lot of people aren’t comfortable talking about. But I think all the people who contributed would agree with me that the corrective rape issue is a serious one. I am so happy that some of my friends contributed to my charity drive,” Stefano said.

If you would still like to contribute to SOHACA or find out more about the work they do, feel free to tweet or Facebook Mika Stefano. You can also contact Thulani Mhlongo on [email protected].