Volunteers help people of Zandspruit register for grants

A group of volunteers have been helping people in Zanspruit register for grants, without any additional fees.

Members of the registered non-profit organisation, Dithupe Foundation have offered free access to information, the internet and their own resources to help more than 4 000 people register for South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants since the lockdown started.

The registrations are for R350 grants, which some people in the community urgently need.

“We wanted to assist unemployed people and disadvantaged communities with their registrations for the R350 grant, especially those can’t afford to buy data or do not have access to smartphones,” said Itumeleng Dithupe, founder and manager of the foundation.

He said only three people are ever allowed in the office at a time, to keep to social distancing protocols, and strict hygienic measures are in place.

The organisation also helped organise a donation of 40 buckets of food, sponsored by Media Africa, to families in the area that were in need. This inspired the foundation to look at starting a feeding scheme.

“Currently we are looking for more donors to help us with food parcels, sanitisers [and] face masks as we encountered a lot of people and some do not have masks and can’t afford to buy musks. Some need food parcels, and do not have anything to eat with their families.

“Dithupe also asked for gas stoves and gas for cooking. Many schools, which provided food to children, have closed for he lockdown and the need is even greater because of this.

“We also started an initiative of helping matric learners, teaching them using our laptops. Since schools closed, many do not have any internet access or computer access.”

Details: Dithupe Foundation mac.tumza@gmail.com; 071 999 2456; 079 341 4428.