Gift of the Givers offers lifeline to flood-hit BCM families

Gift of the Givers has provided a lifeline to hundreds of families from Duncan Village, Mdantsane and Nompumelelo who were displaced after heavy downpours two weeks ago.

The 600 families gathered at the Duncan Village Stadium yesterday to receive groceries and blankets.

The needy families were identified with the help of the local nonprofit, The Seed Foundation.

Resident Fazi Mtshikana, who lives in Duncan Village, said she had been staying in a muddy home since the rains had flooded her shack. “My two grandchildren and I risk our lives by sleeping with the paraffin heater on because we cannot sleep on cold winter nights without it. My furniture is ruined and I do not know where I will get the money to repair it. It is a constant battle for us who live in shacks because we are flooded every time it rains.”

Nomandla Majezi said though she was grateful for the food parcels, they would last only a few days and her family would be back to wondering where their next meal would come from. “Most of us are pensioners who live with our grandchildren. We rely utterly on our social grants. We are struggling to make a living and also to sustain our health because we easily get flu from living in damp households.”

Nombuyiselo Zakuthi said: “I live right next to the road, so the water that came from the roads flooded my entire house. I was forced to drill holes at the back to drain the water that had come in because at this point my cupboards, furniture and even my bed were under water.”

Zakuthi added that she took pictures and video footage of the damage, which she sent to her councillor, and that was how she was informed about the Gift of the Givers’ donation. “During the heavy rains there was also a power outage that lasted a couple of days, which spoilt a lot of food I had. I am pleased with what the organisation is doing. Relief and help from the municipality was a bit slow at first, but I’m very grateful for what [Gift of the Givers] are now doing. This food can sustain us for a couple of days.”

Zimkhitha Majola, who lives with her two sons and her brother, said she was the only one in the household with an income. The roof of her shack was leaking, which had caused further damage. “I do not earn enough money to fix the leaks or any damage caused by the heavy rains because the money I receive has to be spent on food.”

Gift of the Givers provincial co-ordinator Corene Conradie said while disaster management officials were assessing the damage caused by the rains, there were further heavy showers, which led to more people being displaced.

“Mercedes-Benz donated R1m to Gift of the Givers for the Eastern Cape floods, and this has helped the foundation to distribute hundreds of food parcels across the province. We were working closely with The Seed Foundation.”

Conradie said the flooding had been widespread. “Our focus is on the families who were severely affected, so we work alongside various communities and ward committees who verified these affected households by assessing the damage.”

The Seed Foundation’s finance manager Noxolo Mathetha said it had started working with Gift of the Givers after the Covid-19 pandemic affected people’s livelihoods.

The Duncan Village-based organisation helps needy families by cooking them hot meals and teaching them how to plant and maintain vegetable gardens.

Mathetha said: “We helped Gift of the Givers by visiting households and verifying the homes that were badly affected. We had to choose from a big number to match the actual number we got from Gift of the Givers. It was not easy to cut off other families as they are in desperate need.” — DispatchLIVE