THE Covid-19 pandemic has meant many residents, espeically in areas with high unemployment and limited resources such as large parts of Queensburgh, Bellair, Hillary and Seaview struggling to survive.
The Queensburgh community has united through social media groups to mobilise help for those less fortunate than themselves.
A variety of feeding schemes were set up from the beginning of the first lockdown at the end of March.
However, since the lockdown was extended, it has become increasingly difficult for many, also feeling the pinch, to continue to offer the help to others they would normally be able to.
Afraid for their future
“I am struggling myself and my husband has lost his job so we have no more money coming in and we don’t qualify for any grants,” explained a Seaview resident who asked not to be named.
“My husband is a proud man and doesn’t want anyone to know we are struggling,” the resident told the Queensburgh News.
“I don’t know what is going to happen to us,” she said.
“We can’t pay our rent and while we can’t be evicted right now because of the lockdown regulations, I am very afraid we will find ourselves homeless after lockdown.”
ALSO READ: Pollution runs rife in Palmiet River
This woman’s story isn’t unique. Many families are struggling.
People who live in the various informal settlements in and around the community usually earn what little they can by working odd jobs but since lockdown, they also do not have a way to earn money to feed their families. Informal settlements.
Alandra Presley Naidoo, chairperson of the Bellair CPF Youth Crime Prevention Desk, accompanied the Queensburgh News to visit two of the informal settlements in the Bellair precinct.
“We struggle to help the people because we haven’t much ourselves, and rely on donations,” explained Naidoo.
“We have made contact with young people as that is our role and have established a relationship with a few of the little girls living at Grace Place.
“We put up posters asking for donations of toys and other things to help them,” she explained.
“We feel it is important to help them know someone cares for them and wants to help them with some of the things little children should have.”
Naidoo said donations of toys and warm clothing have been very gratefully received by the youngsters.
“These people have nothing,” she said.
“It is heartbreaking because when we help them a little, they have expectations that we might be able to help them more, but we have had to explain that we are not able to do what the state should be doing and claims it is aiming to do for them.”
Neliswe Dlamini, a mother who has lived in Bellair’s Grace Place informal settlement, off Wakesleigh Road, for more than 11 years, said she has found that the price of staple groceries seems to have gone up.
“Now there is this coronavirus and lockdown which means I can’t try to find the best prices, I have to just buy what I can get. This means my grant money doesn’t go very far,” she said.
Keeping hands clean and following basic sanitation is difficult for the people in this settlement.
There are two wooden huts with pit toilets and no running water except for one tap.
Everyone washes their hands and collects water from that one tap, but Dlamini said she is grateful for it.
“Before we had this tap, we had to go and get water from the river,” she said adding that the municipality hadn’t provided the tap, but a kind neighbour had.
She said it shouldn’t be up to residents in the community to care for those living in the settlement.
“Government should do something,” she said.
ALSO READ: No power, water cuts during lockdown, promises Durban Mayor
Another informal settlement which falls under the umbrella of the Bellair SAPS precinct is Radford Gardens in Hillary.
The Queensburgh News visited an area where a meeting had been arranged with a leader from the community via a member of the Bellair CPF.
Unfortunately the man never arrived, but a couple passed by who agreed to speak about their experiences.
Sifiso Msomi works at a local filling station as a pump attendent, but on the day he spoke to the Queensburgh News, was accompanying his wife, Lindiwe Ntuli home after they had visited Wentworth Hospital for an antenatal check up. Ntuli is expecting her child soon.
The couple agreed to a Facebook Live interview with Queensburgh News.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via Telegram? Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Telegram number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts.
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
