A fire that broke out in Witsand in the early hours of Sunday 29 January left 77 people from 33 households displaced.
This devastation prompted Engen to join forces with its long-standing partner The Gift of the Givers to help boost relief efforts for the local community.
Consequently, food parcels, school uniforms and stationery packs have been delivered to people who lost everything in the fire. The Gift of the Givers, which assisted with blankets, toiletry packs and baby-care packs, thanked Engen for helping make a horrific situation more bearable.
“Donations from caring brands such as Engen enable us to strengthen our ability to make an impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people,” Ali Sablay, The Gift of the Givers’ Western Cape Project Manager, said.
According to Khalid Latiff, Engen’s General Manager: Corporate Strategy and Communications, while nothing can replace what the residents lost, Engen hopes its contribution will bring relief in some small way.
“Those who were affected are already marginalised, living in dire situations and now the fire has taken what little they had,” Latiff said. “Our contribution of school uniforms, stationery and food parcels will hopefully add some hope, after a bleak start to the year.”
In 2022, Engen committed R3 million to The Gift of the Givers to help the disaster response organisation bring hope and relief to South Africa’s most vulnerable.
That brought Engen’s total support to R9,5 million since 2019, making it one of the most lucrative corporate partnerships of the non-government sector.
