Mgiba Old Age Home receives donation for winter
“I was in a wheelchair for about a year and a half. I know how it feels like to be helpless when you are a senior citizen.”
Eden Park SAPS and Germiston Flying Squad donated 22 blankets to Mgiba Old Age Home (MOAH) in Palm Ridge on May 24.
Sgt Ronnie Ramara of the Germiston Flying Squad and Sgt Mitta Badi of Eden Park SAPS collaborated to give back to the community.
In addition to the blankets, the men and women in blue spoiled the old age home with vegetables, tinned fish, maize meal, cutlery, bedding, books and jeans.
Ramara said their work is not just to arrest criminals but to restore trust between the police and communities.
The initiative was also supported by the detective and forensic services head office in Pretoria, represented by Brig Nomthandeko Mthembu.
MOAH director Margret Mgiba said she is happy and at a loss for words.
“I don’t even know what to say. I want to thank Mitta Boloi because she is the person who we usually work with. We help each other a lot,” said Mgiba.
MOAH was started two years ago by Mgiba, who said she was inspired by her struggles and her love and passion for senior citizens.
“I was in a wheelchair for about a year and a half. I know how it feels to be helpless when you are a senior citizen. I was not that old at the time, I was just sick. That is when I dedicated my life to helping other senior citizens,” said Mgiba.
“It started as a feeding scheme for senior citizens two years ago.
“After a year, a few people started asking if I could accommodate and care for them. I only had a four-room house at the time,” she said.
Mgiba said the organisation still struggles a lot as they do not have sponsors.
“We need a lot of things. During the month, we run out of food.
“We use our own funds for all our needs, but we have people from the community who provide us with maize meal and vegetables once in a while,” she said.
She said she usually uses money from her rental house in Ramokonopi to buy food.
What does MOAH need?
“We still need beds and blankets, but most importantly food. We want to extend the rooms or get a bigger space so we can accommodate more people.”
To donate to MOAH, contact the director on 073 052 6547 or 082 346 5689.
