58 Families face devastation

58 Families face devastation in Mpumalanga

Never in my life have I seen such dire need and suffering among humankind in my hometown, White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa

We are all aware of the huge impact Covid-19 has had on our businesses and fellow citizens.

I could not sit back and continue to see how so many people face losing their rental houses, have no food to eat or to feed their children, have to sit in the dark as there is no more electricity which mean that children can’t attend online classes, can’t leave the house as the car has no fuel, can’t buy chronic medication and the list goes on and on.

Making use of reliable sources, I identified 58 families that are business owners facing to lose everything. These 58 family members have and 136 children in their care.

These are normal South African Citizens providing jobs to 696 employees combined.

These are businesses that tried to get some relief form all the sources made available by government and banks. Unfortunately, most of these applications are politically orientated and therefor none of these applicants were successful. Insurance companies and banks might give payment holidays, but that is about as far as it goes.

As we know there are many institutions providing food to communities. These relief packages often only reach the poorest of the poor and does not reach the average citizens.

But food alone is not enough. What about other needs that are just as essential as food?

• Rent Some Landlords accept 50% of the rent for 3 months
• Electricity Most have to buy prepaid electricity
• Water The landlord expects tenants to pay for water & refuse removal
• Medication Those who had medical aids lost the benefits as they could not afford the payments anymore
• Fuel No means of affording fuel
• Education All schools are closed and if the students don’t follow the online courses they risk falling behind even further

I made an estimation to calculate to bare necessities that would be required to help these families for a period of 3 months. These 3 months are for April, May and June 2020. They are already behind on payments from the end of April and the end of May is only 2 weeks away.

Requirements per family:

Rent R2500 x 3 months= R7500

Electricity R800 x 3 months= R2400

Water R300 x 3 months= R900

Medication R300 x 3 months= R900

Fuel R300 x 3 months= R900

Food R3000 x 3 months= R9000 (To feed a family of 3)

Total: R21 600 per family for a period of 3 months

Total Required for 58 Families = R1 252 800

We know there are many people out there that have the means and the heart to help others.

I therefore urge you to help and I thank you in advance.

Together we can support these families during this trying time.