Local businesses come together to create drop-off points for Idai donations

MBOMBELA –  Lowveld Media’s Buks Esterhuizen was first challenged by the Digital Manager Zani Barrish in the Lemon Challenge initiative to get local businessmen to donate and create drop-off points to help the victims of Idai.

The cyclone, which made landfall on March 14, brought torrential rain, heavy winds and widespread flooding in Beira and the surrounding area. The storm has killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

ALSO READ: My journey to the aftermath of Cyclone Idai

#EatingALemonWithAStraightFace is a way for members of the community to pay it forward. Esterhuizen was the first businessman to take on the challenge of eating a lemon without making a face on video.

He made a face and had to ‘pay up’ towards Idai and challenged Buco’s Pottie Potgieter and Innibos’ Andy Lubbe to do the same.  Potgieter challenged Crossing’s Anita McGarry and Lubbe nominated Sonpark’s Kobus Jacobs.
Hi-Q’s Gary Friend also took up the challenge on Monday morning, and has now challenged Nashua’s Victor Picoto.

Esterhuizen also came up with a plan to make it easier for the community to donate. “We will make posters for businesses to put up to remind people where they can drop off items. If we can have drop-off points that are all over the city it will be easily accessible.”

All collected wares will be handed over to Mercy Air and Pediatric Care Africa, local organisations which have been involved with the aid operations from the start.

ALSO READ: Local heroes head to help Cyclone Idai victims

Lowveld Media’s office, situated in Stinkhout Crescent, is a drop-off point. Others, so far, are Hi-Q’s premises in Riverside, Riverside Mall, Montana Nursery, Penryn and Nelspruit Methodist Church. Various organizations will then be collecting the donations to either fly or drive the items to Mozambique.

Friend said he had been tracking the situation that was happening in the area via Facebook every night. “I was sitting at the breakfast with municipal manager Neil Diamond last week, when the Mozambican situation came up again and I said to Buks we need to put up posters in strategic places where people can be reminded when they are shopping.”

He said if everyone hands in a small donation, a blanket or anything can make a difference in another person’s life.

“I remember during the 2000 floods in the area, some people were left even without their identity books. They had nothing left, they had lost everything. I saw that firsthand.”

Donations were already waiting for pick-up at Hi-Q’s premises, that Friend and his staff had already collected. “People can drop off items to be sent to Mozambique at our premises.”

On Friday night, there was an event held with Martin Bester at Zweelo’s Restaurant to help raise funds and donations towards the victims of Idai for Pediatric Care Africa.

Pediatric Care Africa’s Dr Andre Hatting left early this morning to the flood-affected area. He is booked to perform 16 operations in Chimoio Hospital. Donations that they have received have been taken up in his cruiser and trailer packed with goods.

Zweelo owners, Lee-Ann and Mike Von Zweel, made a large donation of R10 000 to assist Pediatric Care Africa.

Mercy Air has been using its four aircraft daily to provide relief to those affected. To date Mercy Air has brought two tons of donations from South Africa to Mozambique with the Kodiak and Cessna 310, and the two AS-350 helicopters have flown over 124 tons of food, shelter, and non-food items to those who lost everything.

Besides delivering supplies to those affected, Mercy Air has done several survey and medical flights. One of these flights made it possible for the World Food Program to do food drops in a village completely cut off after nearby bridges were

washed away. The medical teams have provided clinics to hundreds of people.
If your business requires a poster or would like to become a drop-off point, please email tereasa@lowvelder.co.za