About Makhelwane
Makhelwane is isiZulu for neighbours. That is the whole idea: the people who already live near you are the ones most able to help.
Most of us live within a few hundred metres of people who could give us a lift to work, lend us a ladder, buy the couch we no longer want, or notice the smoke before we do — and we have no way to reach them. Makhelwane is a noticeboard for exactly those people: your suburb, and the block, complex or street within it.
What you can do here
- Talk — start a discussion with your neighbours about anything from load-shedding to lost pets.
- Buy and sell — a marketplace for goods and services, plus a Free Stuff section for things you would rather give away than throw out.
- Share a ride — post a trip and split it with neighbours going the same way.
- Swap gifts— offer something you no longer need and say what you are hoping for; when two neighbours want each other’s items, that’s a match.
- Raise an SOS — flag something urgent so the people closest to you see it.
- Find out what’s on — a shared calendar of community events.
How it is organised
Everything hangs off two levels. Your community is your suburb — Barlowpark or Strathavon, for example. Your sub-community is the smaller area inside it: an apartment block, a complex, a sub-area or a street block. You choose both when you sign up, and you can change them later.
If your suburb is not on the list yet, you can ask us to add it from the sign-up page. We usually do that within a day or two.
What Makhelwane is not
We are a platform, not a shop, an agency, an employer or an emergency service. We do not sell the items listed here, we do not vet the people you meet, and we are not a party to any deal you strike with another member. Please read our Terms of Use and the safety advice in Help before you buy from, sell to, travel with or meet anyone.
In an emergency, call the emergency services — not us. An SOS post is a way to alert your neighbours; it is not a call for help that reaches the police, an ambulance or a fire station.
Who runs it
Makhelwane is operated by QUOTAMA (PTY) LTD (registration number 2023/781878/07), trading as Makhelwane, of WeWork, 155 West Street, Sandown, Sandton, 2031, Gauteng, South Africa.
General questions: support@makhelwane.co.za. Privacy questions: privacy@makhelwane.co.za. To report content or behaviour: report@makhelwane.co.za.