- After a destructive fire in the Taiwan informal settlement, the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and Andrew Losaba Society provided emergency aid.
- Resident Busisiwe Koko, who lost nearly all her belongings, expressed deep gratitude for the support.
- Evangelist Nosipho Magcoba highlighted the church’s commitment to community support, urging victims to stay strong.
The pain of losing their belongings was partially salved when congregants from the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and Andrew Losaba Society donated clothes and toiletries to Taiwan informal settlement victims of an inferno that raged through their area, ravaging shacks in its wake, on Sunday 27 October, leaving many destitute.
The church members reached out on Saturday 2 November and donated more than 10 plastic bags of clothes and four boxes of pads.
The congregants believe the clothes will play a huge role in restoring dignity to the victims.
Resident Busisiwe Koko described the donation as divine providence in the wake of disaster. She said most victims are unemployed.
“I’m so grateful for what the church did. I lost everything in the fire. I managed to take the music system, stove, washing machine, microwave and a bag with clothes out. My mistake was in thinking that by keeping them in a nearby shack the flames would not reach them. But alas, in a blink of an eye the flames spread to other shacks, including the one with my stuff. All of them caught fire.”
However, she stated that ever since the incident occurred many people and organisations came in numbers to donate.
Koko, who lives with her three children, managed to rebuild her shack although she does not have furniture.
Speaking on behalf of the church, evangelist Nosipho Magcoba said it always reach out to the needy. She urged the victims to stay strong and believe in God.
“We want to show them they are not alone at this difficult time. As a church we decided to donate these clothes and sanitary towels to show our support,” she said, “because we believe it will make a difference to some of them.”
Magcoba described the initiative as part of her church’s outreach programme.
“We have clothes for men, women, and children and on top of that we have pads as well. We are trying our best to assist where we can. This is part of giving back to the community. As church members we believe we are also part of the community. What is happening in the community also affects us.”
Community leader Nomsa Gamnca thanked the congregation, saying their contribution meant a lot to the shack fire victims.
She urged other organisations to come forward as there are many more people who are struggling.
