KZN flood relief efforts: SA national lottery operator donates R10m

South Africa’s national lottery operator, Ithuba has joined the growing response from corporate companies who are immediate and much-needed hand to flood victims in KwaZulu-Natal.

Ithuba is donating R10 million towards the KZN province floods relief fund set up by government.

On Friday, 29 April, Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza, alongside a delegation from the Departments of Trade and Industry and Social Development, and the National Lotteries Commission, visited the community of Molweni, near Pinetown to hand over food parcels, blankets and other essentials that will help alleviate the plight of the local community.

At least 50 Molweni residents have found temporary shelter and supplies at the Bethel Family Church.

Church leader, Apostle Sizwe Hlabisa, says community members, including babies and children between two and 18 years, have come to stay in the church because their homes have been washed away by the heavy rains last month.

“The natural disaster that we have recently witnessed in, KwaZulu-Natal is quite devastating, we could not fold our arms and do nothing,” said Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza.

A reported 435 people in the province have lost their lives and 54 others are still missing.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has estimated that repairs to damaged infrastructure will cost as much as a trillion rand.

In the Molweni vicinity, bridges that connect the community to Pinetown, the nearest urban centre, have been washed away.

“This leaves many people in a desperate plight as getting to work and school has many risking their lives or not being able to get on with their daily lives at all,” explained Mabuza.

The damage in Molweni is particularly acute because of the settlement is located near the flooded Umgeni River.

“We are in a disadvantaged situation because we are too close to Umgeni River. Many families had to abandon their broken houses, and some homes have been completely washed away,” explained Apostle Hlabisa.

“There is significant pressure on the church to provide support .”

Besides the 50 or so people living in the church building, most of them women and children, Hlabisa explained that hundreds of other community members are also coming to the church for food and water.

“We have had some assistance of cooked food and water from social workers, ward councillors and Sassa, but that is not enough for the number of people we are taking care of,” he said.

Some of the basic items that the community needs are food, cooking utensils such as gas stoves and sanitary products for the women and girl children.

There are health concerns for the people staying at the church as the flush toilets are not working, so church members had to build a pit latrine on the premises.

The water supply from the municipality is intermittent and most of the time they do not have water.

“As a corporate, it is our responsibility to help our communities and make sure that lives are saved and people’s dignity is restored,” says Mabuza.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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