The country has a dire shortage of stem cell donors of mixed or black heritage.

The Bone Marrow Registry says one in 100000 chances of finding a stem cell DNA match anywhere in South Africa.

However, the country only has around 70 000 donors on its registry, the majority of them being white.

Recipient mother. Nello Nkatu says there needs to be greater awareness in black communities.

"Normally I go to red Cross or Tygerberg and you can see a whole lot of kids they're struggling up until to death sometimes because they don't get matches and mostly they are blacks and coloureds and in South Africa, I mean Africans is the highest level of population so we're supposed to know we're supposed to be registered,” Nkatu said.

eNCA