Gift of the Givers to Continue Western Cape Operations Until Sunday, Langa Still in Distress
- The Gift of the Givers has confirmed extending its humanitarian aid relief efforts in weather-affected Western Cape communities
- Gift of the Givers said in an exclusive interview with Briefly News that the move came amid conditions which were expected to worsen
- Project Manager Ali Sablay said operations would continue until Sunday as thousands were dependable on daily hot meals
Source: Original
CAPE TOWN — The Gift of the Givers will continue operations to deliver humanitarian aid to communities devastated by the severe weather battering the Western Cape.
This is as the province prepares for even harsher weather as the rest of the country finds reprieve from a recent cold snap.
Gift of the Givers' extend Western Cape operations
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has predicted another intense cold front, which will bring flooding on Thursday.
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SAWS measured that rain exceeded 200mm in Cape Town by Tuesday morning after a bout of particularly freezing weather characterised by a series of cold fronts over the weekend.
The City of Cape Town Disaster Risk Management Centre actioned multiple road closures on Wednesday morning amid expectations of worsening conditions.
Centre spokesperson Sonica Lategan urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel due to the dangerous conditions.
"[Current] assessments indicate [that] more than 14,000 [residential and other] structures have been affected by flooding or wind damage," Lategan said.
"The City expects rain to continue throughout [Wednesday]. The SAWS's level 8 warning for disruptive rain on Thursday remains in place."
The Western Cape education department has since confirmed that five schools stayed closed due to flooding and infrastructure damage.
"A total of 82 schools have reported damage. The majority of cases are minor, while 31 are considered serious, including [instances] in some schools where [strong winds] tore off the roof sheeting," education officials said.
Lategan said NGO partners, including Gift of the Givers, had spearheaded soft relief efforts in various parts of the city over the past two days and handed over 20,000 meals, 2,550 blankets and 2,450 beanies.
Numbers on the increase
Gift of the Givers Project Manager Ali Sablay spoke to Briefly News on Wednesday about the situation on the ground.
"Gift of the Givers teams have been on the disaster site since day one. The calls started pouring in on Wednesday morning, the first day of the inclement weather for the Western Cape," Sablay told Briefly News.
"Our teams [undertook] assessments in various informal settlements that have reached out to us from the early hours of the morning [on Sunday]."
He said the areas affected were Nyanga, KTC informal settlement, Phillipe East, Phillipe, Phola Park, Langa, Mfuleni, Nomzamo, Lwandle, Macassar, Mbekweni and Khayelitsha.
Sablay said the organisation's humanitarian aid distribution determined that the number of destitute people and others affected surpassed 15,000.
He added that the numbers had risen over the last 24 hours, with areas outside the Cape Town metropole also seeking aid.
"Our operations will continue until Sunday as thousands depend on us for their daily hot meals. The community of Langa is still in distress as gale-force winds destroyed nearly 800 structures, leaving 4,000 people in the open."
Cold snap hits SA from Sunday to Tuesday
In related news, Briefly News reported that a frigid spell beckoned for South Africa from Sunday, 7 July, to Tuesday, 9 July, as the country braced for the real winter business to begin.
This saw a cold snap battering the country and stretched into the new week until Tuesday. SAWS said this was due to a series of cold fronts moving across the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape provinces.
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Source: Briefly News
