Mayor calls on businesspeople to lend family a helping hand
Greater Giyani Mayor Thandi Zitha has appealed to local businesses in Giyani to help feed the Seentsu family in Ndhambhi village.
The family of 26, led by Wilson Seentsu and his wife Melita, sleeps in a three-room shack. No one in the family is employed. Speaking on Friday after donating groceries to the family, the mayor requested local businesspeople to assist in any way they could to guarantee that the family always has food on the table. “A small monthly contribution for basic groceries or an 80kg bag of maize meal can significantly impact the quality of life of this family,” she said.
The mayor said she was deeply concerned about the family’s situation and would therefore try her best to ensure that the family does not go to bed on empty stomachs. “We cannot, as leaders, fold our arms and watch as the family languishes in a situation like this,” explained the mayor, adding that the municipality would also ensure that they have a decent house to sleep in. “We understand that this family has been approved to receive an RDP house.
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However, we still ask businesspeople to contribute something so that the family can have a two or three-bedroom house that can accommodate all of them,” she said. Asked if the government was doing enough to assist people living in poverty, she replied they are, but they cannot help everyone. “In this situation, all of the children receive grants, while the parents receive their old-age pensions, so the government has been helping them a lot. “However, the situation in this family is unique.
This is why, as much as we are urging everyone in similar circumstances to come forward, we do not encourage laziness. We would like to urge people to work hard so they can feed themselves. “26 members in a family is a lot to rely solely on government subsidy, especially when people still have legs, arms, and eyes they can use to hustle,” she said. Responding to the donation, Melita Seentsu thanked the mayor for her kind gesture, saying the groceries would keep hunger at bay for a few months. “For us, this is a lot of food. It will be a while before we need more groceries,” she said.
