South Africa mom asks for pennies worth of electricity and the web answers with generosity

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It may be pocket change to many, but a South African mother was in desperate need and tweeted out a message to ask people on the social media platform for a 69-cent donation so she could pay her electricity bill.

On June 16, Thabisa Xhelithole, 33, posted the heart-wrenching note and was overwhelmed when the internet collectively came to her aid and donations poured in from around the world.

READ MORE: Post-apartheid South Africa is world’s most unequal country, World Bank says

According to The Good News Network, all Xhelithole wanted was for someone to help her purchase R10 of electricity, which amounts to about .0.69¢ worth of power.

Can anyone buy me R10, electricity pliz!
?
Meter Number:
01310172919 https://t.co/1RfTioYTFM

— Thabisa Xhelithole (@Moms_of_LiLith) June 16, 2019

“At that point I was desperate. There was nothing, I wanted to cook some porridge for my baby who was desperately hungry,” she told The Daily Sun. “I had asked my family for help and I felt that they had enough of me asking. I was desperate, I had little data on my phone, and I took to Twitter to ask for help.”

Xhelithole is a mom of a 10-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter and was thankful and shocked when donations started to come in and her Twitter message when viral.

“The first token I got was for R30. When I got that I was happy. I’d be glad if that’s all I got. But people kept on sending and sending and sending. I told them that it was enough, but they kept on sending anyway.”

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From her original request to pay her bill, Xhelithole has received the equivalent of about $58.

The mom thanked everyone for the generous donations. She said, “no words to express the love that people from all walks have shown me,” adding, “May God bless you all.”

“People on social media are amazing,” she said.

“I have been overwhelmed by people’s reactions,” she said. “I appreciate each and every one who helped by sending electricity, money or just retweeted. It means a lot to me. I’d like to thank everyone.”