“Please Do It for My Daughter:” SA Man With Stage 5 Kidney Failure Fights for R100k Lifesaving Care
- Luvuyo Wogqoyi, a Cape Town photographer known for capturing township creative culture, was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure and heart complications
- Doctors told Wogqoyi his heart is too weak for a kidney transplant, making ongoing dialysis his only option to stay alive
- The father of a six-year-old girl launched a BackaBuddy campaign to fund dialysis, medical aid and transport after illness forced him to stop working
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Source: UGC
A Cape Town photographer who spent years documenting artists, brands and the creative pulse of township culture is now fighting for his life and asking the public for help.
Luvuyo Wogqoyi, a photographer and videographer from Gugulethu, was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure. His condition has also weakened his heart to the point where doctors say he no longer qualifies for a kidney transplant, leaving dialysis as the only path keeping him alive.
"I am asking for a chance to live for the sake of my six-year-old daughter who needs her father"
A creative career cut short
Before illness took hold, Wogqoyi built a career capturing the faces and energy of Cape Town's creative scene. His portfolio includes work connected to brands such as Capitec and Sportscene, and his images appeared in national media coverage of gqom artist Mr Thela. More than a decade ago, he was part of Ikasi Instawalk, a photography collective that used visual art to spotlight township creativity through community exhibitions.
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He describes the loss of that work with quiet sorrow.
"I miss seeing all those smiles, laughter and poses from my clients. Unfortunately, I had to stop working when I became sick."
The cost of staying alive
South Africa's public healthcare system faces severe pressure on chronic dialysis services. Access is heavily rationed because demand far exceeds available resources, and in the Western Cape, transplant eligibility has historically influenced which patients can access long-term dialysis programmes.
For Wogqoyi, that broader reality has become deeply personal. With his heart too weak for transplant eligibility, he says he now risks losing access to hospital-based chronic dialysis. He needs funding for medical aid, private or covered treatment, and the transport costs to reach care he can no longer afford without an income.
His Save a Life BackaBuddy campaign has a R100,000 target. More than R63,000 has been raised so far, contributed by 239 donors. Within the first 48 hours alone, 138 people helped raise over R36,000.
"Any amount will make a difference. The little you can give will help me live longer to see my lovely daughter grow up."
He is a father first
At the heart of his appeal is not the career he misses, but the child waiting for him at home. His daughter is six years old.
Wogqoyi still holds onto the hope of returning to photography one day.
"I believe I can still make a difference in the world with my photography skills."
But the first goal is simpler and more urgent. He wants to be well enough to be present for the ordinary moments of his daughter's childhood.
"If not for me, please do it for my daughter."
More Briefly News stories on BackaBuddy campaigns
- Nolusindiso Hleko launched a R5 million BackaBuddy campaign to secure the farm her father, Simosakhe, has worked on and built for 18 years.
- A Johannesburg matric learner’s handwritten plea for dance donations touched Mzansi and inspired a campaign to help hundreds of students with school needs.
- Single mother Fransina Riegers launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover her daughter Brigita’s matric dance costs and create a special memory for her.
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Source: Briefly News
