Some residents’ festive season will be just a bit brighter thanks to the first batch of load-shedding relief packs handed over to local organisations in Atlantis Tuesday (28 November).
Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Minister of Social Development (DSD) Sharna Fernandez distributed the packs on behalf of the Western Cape Government.
They were given to two local organisations that aim to aid survivors of gender-based violence. United Sanctuary Against Abuse and Holy Cross St Clare Sanctuary are both funded by the department.
According to Winde this intervention is to support vulnerable residents from the worst impacts of load shedding.
“Middle- and upper-income residents are able to put some steps in place to ameliorate the impact of load shedding, but our most vulnerable citizens do not have these resources,” he said.
During the handover to the beneficiaries Winde added the packs are a small but important intervention that helps as lighting and charging resources. With many survivors often still fearing for their safety, their security concerns during load shedding times are relevant. “These kits will help the staff that are on duty to be able to see if there are any threats, so they can call police should there be one,” said Felicia Fillies, social worker and acting manager of United Sanctuary Against Abuse.
The kits comprise solar home-lighting systems with dual charging capability via solar panel or AC cable; three lighting options; rechargeable 6 V, 4 ah battery; up to 18 hours of light; and battery protection as well as wall-hanging mounts. (more on pg 4)
