Share your excess goodies with the poor

Alex’s foremost philanthropist Linda Twala urged residents to be altruistic to their grannies and neighbours this festive season and beyond.

In a wide-ranging interview, Twala said, “When pampering and spoiling yourself, spending and eating lavishly with excess food thrown away, also think of those who don’t have, the frail neighbours and poor children. They also want to experience the year’s festive moment.”

He urged that in addition to hampers and material items, they should also give them unforgettable gifts including constructing toilets for them. He implored those who locked frail relatives and grannies indoors out of shame and for safety when going to work to desist this inhumane practice. “There are many venues like old age and care centres where they will be kept for a nominal or subsidised fee.

“We should also join hands and pray for Alex including politicians who ought to be wiser and selfless leaders when making choices in the interest of the poor.”

Greed by some of the leaders should be shunned and shamed. “It contributes to our children growing into older age with unfulfilled dreams leading them to gravitate into crime.

“Our priority should be getting them jobs and business opportunities in the township to restore their self-pride, reduce their dependency on Sandton and being lured into drugs to lull their depression.”

He urged politicians including councillors to also fulfil their promise of acquiring land nearby for long-awaited housing to avoid uprooting residents from their familiar background. “They should be left closer to work opportunities by changing apartheid’s social land use and planning scheme which dumped Africans far away from cities forcing them to incur costly transport when coming to work.”

Twala also urged for unity among residents to prevent crime often committed by the youth and against the residents. “It’s their rebellion against neglect and the need for help against corruption which they see through resources being deviated for individuals’ benefit.

“It’s not too late to fulfil their dreams for good quality education and business opportunities to prevent girls from teenage pregnancies.”

This he said will also be done in honour of liberation heroes and heroines from all political formations. “We shouldn’t be fighting among each other for political tuff at the expense of citizens whose poverty is deepening and coalescing into a time bomb deriving from deferred promises.”