Capricorn District fight hunger through the Food Bank

By: Emmaculate Cindi

Just a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced social measures in response to COVID-19 Epidemic, the Capricorn District has launched a Food Bank to assist with food distribution to the most vulnerable families across the district during the Lockdown.

While most families wonder where their next meal will come from, the Capricon District will come to their rescue by distributing food parcels from their first ever District Food Bank launched today at Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane. It is one of its kind in the province with the hope that other districts will follow suit.

The bank functions almost  the same as the commercial banks but in this case, donors will be depositing food that will be distributed to 118 wards in Capricorn to only people with a maximum wage of less than R3 000 per month.

Premier Chupu Stanley Mathabatha congratulated the Executive Mayor John Mpe for being a pioneer in launching the first District Food Bank in the province which is said to run beyond the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“This pandemic has taught us to do things differently and in a better way, we have discovered a lot of things that should have been done differently years ago, and the Food Bank is one of the things we have discovered” said Mathabatha

The district will use a standard package guidelines from the Department of Social Development. Once packaged with non-perishable and other nutrients, it will then be dispatched to deserving families. The package is expected to last for a minimum of four weeks depending on the size of the family.

“Each package contains basic food such as mealie-mealie, sugar, fish and tin stuff among other things. This is to ensure that each day, families enjoys nutritional warm meal while observing the lockdown regulations” said Mpe

50 food parcels will be distributed daily to the most deserving people residing in the Capricorn district, despite their political party affiliation, race and gender and will not be politicised to gain popularity against various political parties.

This hunger relief project comes at the time when people are faced with possible unemployment once the pandemic is over, when the most vulnerable are unable to seek employment during the national lockdown while others are not being paid by their employers as the country is facing economic challenges due to COVID-19.

The Premier has pleaded with communities to report anyone who will be seen selling food parcels or distributing them according to political party affiliation to the police. This comes after there has been various reports through the media that Ward Councillors were behind unfair food parcels distribution across the country.

To show solidarity in the District’s initiative, opposition of political parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance had put their difference aside and set their eye in supporting the Food Bank while fighting the spread of COVID-19.