Cape Town - The humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers teams offered relief assistance to the flood-stricken Gxagxa informal settlement in Gugulethu on Monday.
This comes after several structures were severely damaged during rains in informal settlements around Cape Town.
The Gift of the Givers project manager, Ali Sablay, said they had offered their assistance and relief after they’d received numerous calls from community members around Cape Town following the recent heavy rainfall.
“In the past three days there has been heavy rainfall and flooding, unfortunately for those who reside in informal settlements who were severely affected. In Gugulethu, an informal settlement called Gangxa was also severely hit, where people’s belongings and food got washed away. Their bedding got extremely wet.”
Sablay said their teams assisted the community with hot meals, blankets, toiletries, clothing and other warm items.
“We gave them food hampers so that they can continue cooking during this period, we then headed off to Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Bishop Lavis assisting those communities as well,” he said.
He also said there was a chance that their severe cold and rainy weather conditions would continue, and they would be deploying more members to assist those who may get affected.
“As the weather conditions continue to be bad, we are extremely concerned about people in informal settlements of Gugulethu, as they have no chance of escaping as the rain continues and water could flood their informal structures,” Sablay.
Founder and manager of Umsobomvu Youth Centre, Connie Mase, told IOL that the recent heavy rainfall and flooding in the areas had damaged the roof and the structures of the child centre that had been operating for the past 23 years.
“We are pleading with anyone who is willing to assist us to come forward and it is a painful situation because we are struggling to accommodate children as the building was severely damaged and affected.
“The only people who were trying hard to assist are the Gift of the Givers teams,” she said.
IOL