POPULAR businessman and celebrity boxer Phumlani Njilo leads by example.
He sent his loyal Malawian housekeeper back home to sort out his expired papers.
Phumlani, who won the celebrity boxing match Impi The War against Big Zulu in 2023 at Olive the Convention Centre in Durban, voluntarily let his family helper go back to Malawi after his documents expired.
The 32-year-old CEO of Induduzo Bespoke Funerals said housekeeper Thabani Banda had worked loyally for the family for more than 20 years.
“We couldn’t pronounce his Malawian name properly, so we gave him the Zulu name Thabani,” Phumlani told Daily Sun.
“We lived in peace with him and he was a good worker. But a few years ago, his papers expired and we tried to help him regularise them without success.
“When the crackdown on illegal immigrants started, we had to do the right thing — even though it was painful. Continuing to employ someone on an expired visa is illegal.”
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Thabani was among the Malawians who travelled back home by bus on Saturday, June 27 from Pietermaritzburg, KZN midlands.
Phumlani said he can’t wait for Thabani to return with his papers in order.
“He was like family to us and I can’t wait to see him coming back with his sorted papers,” he said.
He called on all South Africans to do the right thing.
“Let’s encourage our workers, friends, spouses and family members who are in the country illegally to regularise their status,” said Phumlani.
“Once they’ve sorted their papers, they’re more than welcome to return legally and continue contributing to this beautiful country.”
Phumlani comes from the charismatic Njilo family in Pietermaritzburg, KZN midlands. His dad, Themba Njilo, is a well-known philanthropist.
