The Cradle of Hope, a non-profit organisation operating in Krugersdorp West, is going to court after the Department of Social Development (DSD) halted their community feeding operation last week.
Read initial article here:
Organisation forced to stop doing what they have been for three years
The organisation has been handing out peanut butter sandwiches to over 600 hungry and vulnerable members of the community every day for the last three years.
Their permit, as issued by the DSD, very clearly prohibits them from serving any cooked or prepared food, and only allows them to distribute non-perishable food parcels and maize, which they preferably have to deliver to the recipients as well.
Last week the organisation retaliated and put up a poster on their gate, saying that the [ANC] government is forcing them to stop feeding the community they serve. Subsequently an ANC Youth League member visited them after the poster had caused quite a stir on social media.
The member said their supporters would arrive by the busloads to toyi-toyi in front of the organisation’s premised to show their disgust, should they refuse to take down the poster.
On Monday, 18 May, the founder of the organisation, Melodie van Brakel announced that they were going to court over the DSD regulation.
“Our formal legal letters to various important role players, and our formal applications to the government and DSD have been blatantly ignored. Tonight once again hundreds of adults and children from our community will be going to bed hungry. We have no other alternative but for our legal team to prepare an urgent legal application to the High Court to intervene. People are literally starving! Yet we are formally prohibited from helping these people,” Melodie said on her Facebook page.
She also said they received neither funding nor food from government, and rely solely on donors, sponsors and volunteers for support and assistance. You can still help them by donating funds.
Donate via their account:
The Cradle of Hope
First National Bank
Account no: 621-8035-2628
Branch code: 250241
Reference: FP and YOUR NAME
“We can issue Section 18a SARS tax certificates for all donations received.”
You can also donate via BackaBuddy.
For a copy of their needs list, please contact Sharon Lee on WhatsApp on 079 049 5802, or email info@thecradleofhope.org or visit www.thecradleofhope.org.
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