Last week was a joyful occasion indigenous families in need in King William’s Town after they received food parcels courtesy of local Oeswana tribe leaders.
Picture: DESMOND COETZEE
A total of 80 people from Breidbach and Schornville benefitted from the initiative.
Oeswana liaison officer and senior headman Desmond Coetzee said the parcels were provided by the Griqua Royal Council in the Eastern Cape for distribution to those in need.
“Chief Joseph Kreeling is the principal leader of the Griquas, an active member of the Khoi and San Alliance in the Eastern Cape and also serves as deputy chairperson at the Congress of Traditional Leaders of SA [Contralesa] in BCM,” Coetzee said.
“With our membership of close to 500 within Breidbach and Schornville, as the council we collectively decided to split the total parcels into two for distribution among the needy families within the two areas.”
Speaking to the GO! & Express, Chief Kreeling said they were working with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches and other feeding schemes within the Amatole, BCM and Chris Hani districts.
“With the start of the lockdown, we felt the urgency to serve our communities and started searching for donors, of which Lunchbox Fund Relief is one,” Kreeling said.
“We are a registered NPO and our mission is to unite all parties as mentioned to fight against poverty, unemployment and other many different social ills within our communities during this economic meltdown that our globe is facing.”
At the handout in front of Garden of Hope in Breidbach, Oeswana chief Melvin Smith told the excited people that those who had not benefitted would be considered in the next round of donations.
“I am thankful for this gesture and proud to be a member of the Oeswana tribe,” said senior citizen and beneficiary Siena Magrimo.
Her gratitude was shared by fellow senior citizen Amelia Thompson: “The food parcel came at a time when we needed it the most.”
The Lunchbox Fund, which helped organise the food parcels, is an NPO founded in 2004 that focuses on fostering education via nutrition by providing a daily meal to orphaned and at-risk school children in township and rural areas.
