Foundation is uplifted by donations after Diepsloot looting
DIEPSLOOT – After having a number of items stolen during the looting in Diepsloot, the Ikemeleng Foundation received support and donations for them to continue helping their community.
A Diepsloot-based NPO received an abundance of assistance from organisations after being affected by looting in Diepsloot on July 12.
Fourways Life Hospital and Dainfern-based NPO Bags of Love partnered once again to assist the Diepsloot community after youth-led organisation Ikemeleng Foundation was affected by the province-wide riots that took place from July 12.
Bags of Love founder, Susan Harwood said she was contacted by the founder of the foundation, Percy Malepe, who was looking for donations for a Mandela Day contribution to his community.
“Percy is on the WhatsApp group for Diepsloot which I started up. We have supported Percy a few times before in his efforts to run a soup kitchen for many people. He was recently robbed. His container was broken into and all food, gas stove and crockery, and more was stolen,” she said.
Since starting last year, the foundation assists community members with support in the form of food security, medication, and appropriate activities for younger children.
Marketing manager at Life Fourways Hospital, Tanya Jenneker said the hospital was contacted again by Harwood to partner up and assist Malepe with a donation. “We partnered with Bags of Love again and reached out to find out who they think would benefit from a good, nutritious lunch,” she said.
“Susan Harwood then connected me with Percy from Ikemeleng, we thought the youth would appreciate a good lunch on a cold winters day and so many were doing soup kitchens we wanted to do something different and, of course, Covid-friendly.”
Malepe expressed his gratitude to the various organisations that donated to his foundation following the unfortunate events.
He said the lunch packs donated went towards their Mandela Day drive to assist 600 children in the community. “It was really great to receive. We got donations from different places as well, so it was a busy yet productive day for us. Things could have been a lot worse,” he added.
“There [were people in] the community who were trying to stop what was happening. The looting only happened one night, and the following day, we were able to continue operating at our centre.”
