Estcourt police employed a two-pronged approach when visiting communities on Friday. While giving information and advice about the spread of Covid-19, the team also distributed food parcels to needy residents.

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Co-ordinatiors Sergeant Mkhize and Sergeant Dlamini partnered with Chinese business owners to bring much-needed relief to residents in Cornfields, Thembalihle, Mabhalonini, Brynbella, Mshayazafe, Drycott and Esigodlweni.

“The coronavirus outbreak brought about a lot of issues in our society. The country faces a pandemic never known to society, with most basics closed and many people left vulnerable to hunger. We know that hunger usually results in crime, which is why we, as the Estcourt station, decided to do what we do best – give back to the communities we serve. ‘Operation We Care, We Provide’ then took its course,” explained Sergeant Mkhize.

The day started at 9am with a briefing of stakeholders, who also included traffic officers. The teams then headed off to meet the communities, and 80 food parcels were distributed.

“Each community was left with a few words of encouragement. What we noticed was that most people were not wearing their face masks, which showed that they had little information about the virus. They also can’t afford face masks or the necessities needed to prevent being infected, so we taught them a few basics about the virus and they promised to stay at home, since they got all the food they need now,” said Sergeant Mkhize.

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