Protea Shelter receives food but the need persists
Private institutions have delivered copious amounts of food
Although residents of the Protea Shelter on 1st Avenue in Bredell receive food on a regular basis, many of them had been retrenched or put on unpaid leave.
According to the owner of the property, who wished to remain anonymous, the mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, along with officials, brought food parcels on April 21. They served 170 residents, including children.
“The food parcels contained products like flour, sugar and rice,” the owner explained. A resident confirmed that Ekurhuleni medical teams also visited the shelter.
“Private institutions have delivered copious amounts of food,” the owner said.
Martin Venter (22), who worked as a carpenter, was retrenched via a WhatsApp message. Venter was the sole breadwinner of his family consisting of his mother, brother (15) and sister (13).
“I don’t understand how they can retrench people while we know they make millions. My employer was even aware of my issues with my ID and that I had trouble claiming UIF,” he said.
“I was last paid a portion of my salary before lockdown, and with my retrenchment they sent me R500.”
Protea Shelter residents highlighted the need for sanitary products like soap, shampoo and washing powder.
