Food relief programme set to fight hunger

Lolo Madonsela

With many people struggling to make ends meet during this Covid-19 lockdown period, Zululand District Municipality (ZDM) has established the Sethembe Food Programme to aid those in need.
The programme was launched by IFP president Emeritus Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi last month at Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Airport in uLundi, in partnership with Boxer Superstores CEO Mareck Masojada. ZDM pledged R5 million to the initiative.
According to ZDM Mayor, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, the initiative will benefit 5000 families from 90 Wards in the district.
“Ward councillors and izinduna have been tasked with the roll-out of this programme. They are currently busy identifying the beneficiaries and once they are done, we will dispatch the shopping cards to those beneficiaries. This gives more dignity to the people than giving them food parcels,” said Mayor Buthelezi.
He also said that the municipality was committed to looking at practical solutions and partnering with strategic stakeholders in order to put the dignity of the people of Zululand first.
“We will ensure that each family that qualifies receives a Boxer card and they can go to any Boxer Superstore and purchase the groceries they need,” added Mayor Buthelezi.

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Sethembe Food Relief Programme cards will be loaded with R1000 monetary value that can be redeemed for food. Beneficiaries can use the cards at any Boxer Superstore at their own convenience; these are, however, once-off cards. On the day of the launch, 50 cards per ward were distributed in the 24 wards of uLundi; 60 cards per ward to the 21 wards of Nongoma; 50 cards per ward to the 15 wards of Pongola; and 60 to each of the 30 wards of Dumbe and AbaQulusi.
The R5 million from ZDM was re-prioritised according to the Disaster Management Act. Due to the annual SALGA Games not taking place this year, the ZDM executive committee took the decision to re-prioritise funding and redirect the R5 million meant for the SALGA Games towards food relief for vulnerable communities.
Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi expressed gratitude on behalf of the thousands of families in Zululand, both to ZDM and Boxer Superstores.
“I must commend the municipality for partnering with Boxer Superstores. One of the biggest problems experienced by relief programmes right now is the problem of corruption. We have seen in news reports and we have heard from our own leaders that when food parcels are handed out, chaos tends to ensue,” said Prince Buthelezi.
He further said, “It is therefore a stroke of genius on the part of ZDM to partner with Boxer Superstores to create plastic cards that can be redeemed for food at any Boxer Superstore. Each card has a unique number and a mag-stripe, and cards will only be issued to families pre-identified as being destitute by ward councillors, amakhosi and izinduna.”

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