HUMANITARIAN aid organisation Gift of the Givers will provide Christmas cheer to 300 people whose homes were gutted by a fire in Brickfield informal settlement in Simondium in the Western Cape on Thursday afternoon.
Director Imtiaz Sooliman said teams would be on site at 11am with a Christmas lunch, additional mattresses, blankets, and party packs for the children.
“We will also be replacing the wheelchair of an elderly lady whose wheelchair burnt in the flames,” Sooliman said.
They would be also be telling residents that they could expect building material for their new homes on December 28, as all suppliers had already closed.
Sooliman said they had offered aid to people at the Drommedaris informal settlement in Mbekweni when they heard about this fire.
“We received the call from disaster management that 73 homes were gutted by fire in seconds, rendering 300 people homeless.
“Our teams immediately proceeded to the area after bringing inexplicable joy to the residents at Mbekweni who managed to rebuild their homes in record time on the eve of Christmas.”
Sooliman said in addition, Vuyani Xala, 41, died after a burnt tree fell on him, killing him instantly.
“Gift of the Givers’ philosophy is to assist communities in mass disasters as fast, efficiently and as decisively as we can depending on the availability of resources.
“The fires at Drommedaris and Brickfield required an intervention of R1.5 million. We deeply appreciate the generosity of South Africans who provide funding even in these tough economic times enabling us to respond to ongoing mass disasters in our country, be it fire, rain, tornadoes, drought and Covid-19.”
Sooliman also extended his gratitude to Gift of Givers teams throughout the country that go beyond the call of duty, even in the festive season when their offices are closed.
“A prayer and a message of goodwill will go a long way to motivate the entire team that serves unconditionally, with dignity, are all smiles and bring hope wherever they arrive. We have been called the ’green people’, ’God's Angels’, ’the people of God’, for which we thank all of South Africa.”
Sooliman wished all South Africans an “an incredible Christmas” and the most magnificent 2022.
“Together, as a nation, we can rebuild our country, providing a better life for all,” he said.
IOL