Mary Oppenheimer, daughters pledge R1 billion to fight Covid-19 in SA

- Mary Oppenheimer and her daughters will be donating R1 billion to the solidarity fund aimed at fighting the coronavirus in South Africa

- The family said they support the fund because it is aligned with their concerns about basic needs, food, medicine, general care and gender abuse

- Five people have died from the coronavirus in the country

PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly.co.za News on your News Feed!

Prominent South African business families are doing their bit to help in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus.

Mary Oppenheimer and her daughters have announced on Tuesday that they will be donating R1 billion to the solidarity fund aimed at fighting the virus in the country.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said last week that the solidarity fund was set up to support initiatives aimed at fighting the virus.

Mary and her daughter's donation to the fund is separate from the South African Future Trust initiative launched by her brother Nicky last week.

Mary and Nicky are the children of the late mining magnate Harry Oppenheimer. He was the former chairman of Anglo American and De Beers. He died in 2000.

"My daughters and I have thought long and hard about where we could make the greatest difference in this fight and have decided it is to support the humanitarian needs of everyone living in South Africa. So, we think that it is the Solidarity Fund which is most aligned to our concerns about basic needs, food, medicine, general care and gender abuse."

READ ALSO: Coronavirus: Renowned SA HIV scientist Gita Ramjee passes away

The family also said they "salute" those who were providing essential service in this time of need.

"We are grateful for all the other efforts, small and large, that South Africans are making to help our country through this difficult time."

The coronavirus has already claimed the lives of five people and the confirmed Covid-19 cases now stand at 1 353.

Briefly.co.za has reported that Nicky and Jonathan Oppenheimer had established the South African Future Trust in a bid to help rescue local businesses affected by the coronavirus.

Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!

Source: Briefly News