Barberton Mines makes sizeable food parcel donation to Emjindini and Matsulu communities
Pieters said the donation would sustain a family of five for one month and reduce the need for people to go out to the shops to purchase foodstuffs.
BARBERTON – Barberton Mines, as part of its corporate social investment strategy, donated food parcels to the Emjindini community last Thursday.
In her address at the Barberton Town Hall, the MMC for financial services, Elizabeth Gecelo-Mkhabela, urged all the stakeholders to stand together as South Africa battles Covid-19.
“We hope that all of South Africa, the officials and leadership will stand united in this fight. The Covid-19 pandemic is a reality and we must stand together to fight it,” she said.
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Martin Pieters, environment, social and governance manager of Barberton Mines, said, “Through this gesture, Barberton Mines wants to demonstrate to the Umjindi community that we are serious about our corporate social responsibility in how we deal with the coronavirus.
“As a company, we are concerned about the spread of Covid-19 and as a result, we thought about going out and providing food and hygiene products to this community.”
He continued, “The need is far greater than we can supply and what we are providing is not an overflow, but substance, because we know that the 1 630 food parcels you see here is a drop in the ocean.”
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Pieters said the donation would sustain a family of five for one month and reduce the need for people to go out to the shops to purchase foodstuffs.
“We do not know what the world will be like post-Covid-19, and our message is that all who are in a position to give to the poor should dig deep into their pockets to make a difference to the people in these comunities.”
Pieters affirmed that adhering to the lockdown regulations and the social distancing measures would go a long way in flattening the curve.
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The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism’s president, Oupa Pilane, took to the podium on behalf of the City of Mbombela’s Solidarity Fund and said, “It is in times like these in South Africa that we should stand together, regardless of race, hold hands and help those who cannot help themselves.
“We would like to thank the executive mayor for establishing the Solidarity Fund to mobilise resources for those who do not have the means to sustain themselves during this pandemic.”
Pilane called on all residents to remember the poor and destitute. “As winter is approaching, I would like to request that citizens who want to help, use the municipal offices in the City of Mbombela or the nearest regional offices that will be used as drop-off centres.”
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The speaker of council, Cllr Sipho Siwela, outlined the vetting process through which the beneficiaries were selected and said distributions would be made in Matsulu the following day.
“Barberton Mines sent a request to the Department of Social Development (DSD) to verify the names of the recipients. The mine compiled a list that was sent to the DSD for approval and the process was in line with the city’s food bank for accountability and transparency,” Siwela said.
After the gathering, a truck was loaded with food parcels to be delivered to recipients in the different wards where the need was identified.
