Being a Good Samaritan is not so easy
It seems that it is okay to donate to the municipal food bank that in return hands it out to the needy. But if you are steering a project on your own the municipality throws a spanner in the works. A notice was issued that put a halt to these initiatives.
COVID-19 is wreaking mayhem the whole world over. The pandemic has seen people rushing to shops doing panic-buying.
But what happens to those vulnerable families who can’t fill their cupboards.
Non-profit organisations (NPO’s), charities, and others across SA have stepped up to the plate to help those in need. They have been working tirelessly to deliver essential goods to the poor.
One of these initiatives was from Glencore that donated 750 food parcels to the Emalahleni Local Municipality on May 4.
It seems that it is okay to donate to the municipal food bank that in return hands it out to the needy.
But if you are steering a project on your own the municipality throws a spanner in the works. A notice was issued that put a halt to these initiatives.
Municipal spokesperson Mr Lebo Mofokeng said there is nothing malice with the notice they issued because it emanated from continuous complaints and challenges experienced by the SAPS, communities, and others.
“In the interest of safeguarding the health of the citizens of eMalahleni no private person or organisation will be allowed to distribute food parcels within the jurisdiction of the municipality unless certain requirements are adhered to,” is an extract from the notice.
The municipality then listed requirements; all cooked and uncooked food parcels are assessed by the environmental health inspectors, permits must be attained, clear details of what is in the parcels must be provided for record-keeping, all the requirements for food handling, social distance, wearing masks and gloves and sanitising and transport requirements must be met. Convening of crowds at a common space will not be allowed therefore all the food parcels must be distributed directly to affected homes and shelters.
This notice was hard to swallow for NPO’s and private organisations.
“Unfortunately not everyone has a clear plan on where they want to deliver or who their target is and randomly selects areas which result in the attraction of crowds. Gatherings are not permitted and food distribution lines have caused and resulted in contact without social distancing, and some cases violence,” Mofokeng responded.
He said unfortunately not everyone is registered and does not adhere to the national disaster management act regulations.
“The health inspectors have a 24 hour turnaround time at maximum; they do not delay inspections and do sample inspections where there are large volumes,” Mofokeng said.
“We are trying our utmost best to adhere to the regulations. However, we have tried all avenues within the municipality to obtain a permit but to no avail. Nobody at the municipality could tell us which health inspector to contact. We have written a letter to the municipality and have received no response yet,” a spokesperson from a local charity organisation said. She is kept anonymous in fear of victimisation.
This charity organisation has hundreds of people knocking on their door for food and the number is growing daily.
Other NPO’s have formed an alliance against the prescribed guidelines requiring them to hand over food parcels to the municipal food banks for better distribution.
“People do not have money to plan for long periods, and at this stage, they are living from hand to mouth. Even in the second week of the lockdown, we were approached by people for assistance, something we expected to happen only at a later stage,” said Hennie Bekker, AfriForum’s district coordinator for the Lowveld.
According to Bekker, people are turning to desperate practices simply to get food. “We have seen people catching and selling fish to earn some money. They have now been forbidden to do this, leaving them in an extremely difficult position as far as essential items are concerned. In such situations, we have joined hands with organisations such as Solidarity Helping Hand, Saai, and others to coordinate the distribution of food and other necessities to avoid a situation where some places are getting too much and others too little.”
Dr Theo de Jager, chairman of The Southern African Agri Initiative said, “We will not send the food parcels, fruit and vegetables we collect from farmers across the country to government warehouses for central distribution. Nor will we ask permission from the government, or apply for permits to take that food to desperately hungry families in all our communities, irrespective of race, religion, or party political affiliation. We will distribute it to where it is most needed, not to where national, provincial, or local politicians decide it should go.”
“Helping Hand’s structures already are well-established, and the fact that we are joining hands with AfriForum and Saai ensures that three strong organisations are standing together to create hope within these structures,” said René Roux, deputy chief executive of communication at Solidarity Helping Hand.
Helping Hand’s Joseph Silos are a lifebuoy for numerous needy people. More than 70 Joseph Silos have been established countrywide. The amount received so far within the Joseph Silo project has almost reached R2 million, and Helping Hand has been able to provide food to hundreds of families and institutions such as homes for the aged and children’s homes.
Solidarity Helping Hand has threatened to take legal action against those calling for the centralisation of food distribution under the auspices of the government. Its chief executive Hannes Noëth said: “If anyone should prevent Helping Hand from performing distress relief activities, such a person would be contravening the law.”
Read more:
https://www.citizen.co.za/witbank-news/157300/ogies-farmer-reaches-out-to-local-communities/
Read more:
