Pretoria – As part of ongoing efforts to provide humanitarian support to grief-stricken KwaZulu-Natal following the unprecedented floods, Mercedes-Benz South Africa Limited (MBSA) has joined forces with Gift of the Givers Foundation to provide urgent humanitarian aid to victims of the recent catastrophe.
The donation, valued at R3 million, availed by the leading automobile maker will be channelled towards providing warm meals, food parcels, water and emergency education essentials to communities most severely affected in parts of KZN.
MBSA executive director for human resources and corporate affairs, Abey Kgotle said the contribution to humanitarian efforts is aimed at restoring the communities, hoping that they emerge stronger.
“Our contribution towards the flood disaster initiatives demonstrates our commitment as a responsible corporate citizen extends beyond our manufacturing operations,” said Kgotle.
“With solid partnerships like the one forged with the Gift of The Givers Foundation, we will continue to serve our communities and are hopeful that those affected will emerge even stronger than before,” he said.
Kgotle said a key aspect of the MBSA corporate social investment (CSI) portfolio is to serve communities through community upliftment initiatives and education.
“To this end, food parcels, inclusive of staple foods and non-perishables, as well as bottled water, will be distributed to affected families. MBSA’s donation the Gift of the Givers will further provide school-going children with hygiene packs, school uniforms, school shoes and essential stationery supplies to ensure the continuation of education,” said Kgotle.
The company said additionally, building material and assistance with repairs will be provided to the affected communities following a thorough assessment of areas where school infrastructure has been damaged.
To date, MBSA said it had contributed over R4 million to the Gift of the Givers Foundation’s ongoing disaster relief initiatives.
Insurance providers this week said they are dealing with a high volume of claims after the catastrophic floods last month.
Shakeel Ebrahim, head of operations at Standard Bank Insurance, said that since the floods there had been 3 873 claims received from the coastal province.
Last week, Ithuba, the national lottery operator, visited the community of Molweni to provide flood relief to residents and families.
The delegation included Ithuba CEO Charmaine Mabuza and representatives from the departments of Trade and Industry and Social Development and the National Lotteries Commission.
The community was given food parcels, blankets and other essentials.
At least 50 Molweni residents who lost their homes are being sheltered at the Bethel Family Church, where the handover took place.
IOL