Latest news with #GiftOfTheGivers
News24
13 hours ago
- News24
Gift of the Givers calls for arrest of ‘water mafia' after threats in flood-ravaged Mthatha
Gift of the Givers Foundation staff received threats while providing water to residents in flood-ravaged Mthatha. Police Minister Senzo Mchunu previously condemned the threats, and authorities are providing armed protection for aid workers. The humanitarian organisation called for the arrest of those responsible. Gift of the Givers Foundation founder Imtiaz Sooliman has called for the arrest of the 'water mafia' after aid workers were threatened while distributing water to flood-ravaged residents in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape. The person who made the threats, he said, was driving a black Toyota Fortuner at the time. His call came days after Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and the OR Tambo District Municipality condemned the intimidation of the workers. The municipality has contracts with companies that own water tankers and distribute water to people during outages. Gift of the Givers has been distributing the water for free ever since the floods hit the Eastern Cape, claiming the lives of at least 92 people, most of them in Mthatha. Sooliman said information indicated that someone driving a black Toyota Fortuner had made the threats. 'Gift of the Givers appreciates the message of support from the Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, against the water mafia who tried to intimidate Gift of the Givers drivers while delivering life-saving water to the people of Mthatha, who were severely affected by the floods,' he added. READ | Gift of the Givers 'water mafia' intimidation an attack on ubuntu, says Mchunu 'Given the hardship and difficulty of the people and given the fact that [over] 90 people have passed on, the behaviour of the water mafia is totally disgusting. We appreciate the fact that the SAPS acted immediately by sending an armed person in the truck with our drivers, as well as a car following the water tankers. 'The situation has completely calmed down, but we are calling on the community of Mthatha to help us find a black Toyota Fortuner from which the threat was made, and we need that person arrested,' he said Sooliman added that profiteering from people's hardship needed to stop: This is a message to the water mafia: we will take you on wherever you are because Gift of the Givers is not afraid of anyone. 'We have the support of the government, the SAPS, the SANDF, and above all, we have the support of the communities and the municipalities when it comes to assisting people in dire need, as is the case now in Mthatha and the Eastern Cape. 'This kind of heinous behaviour has to stop. We hope that the government will now extend the support it is giving to Gift of the Givers to all areas where the water mafia are capitalising. All those types of tenders have to stop in the interest of saving money and in the interest of the people of our country,' he said. On Wednesday, Mchunu said the police would not tolerate any attempt to intimidate or obstruct those working tirelessly to save lives and bring relief to the people. 'Gift of the Givers has consistently been a source of hope and dignity to South Africans in their hour of need. Any attack on them is an attack on the very principle of ubuntu,' the minister said.
News24
2 days ago
- News24
Eastern Cape transport dept crew robbed while repairing flood-damaged road
A provincial transport department crew was robbed while repairing a flood-damaged road in Cala, Eastern Cape. Gunmen stole the crew's bakkie. The robbery comes days after humanitarian aid workers were intimidated while assisting people affected by flooding in the province. A group of armed men robbed provincial transport department construction workers who were sent to repair a flood-damaged road in Cala in the Chris Hani district in the Eastern Cape. 'The incident occurred in Cala late [on Wednesday] as the workers were out to attend to a rural bridge damaged by the recent floods in a village in Cala,' Transport MEC Xolile Nqatha said. 'A bakkie driven by a group of balaclava-clad men armed with rifles approached them while working at a nearby quarry,' Nqatha added. He added that the men tied up the workers, demanded keys to their bakkie, and removed several tyres from their tipper truck. 'They loaded them onto the stolen bakkie, and both bakkies sped off, leaving the [crew] stranded but unharmed,' Nqatha added. The incident comes only days after Gift of the Givers Foundation aid workers were intimidated while providing essential aid to flood victims in Mthatha on Saturday. According to the OR Tambo District Municipality, the workers were threatened by people who demanded that they stop supporting hundreds of displaced residents affected by recent flooding in the province. Police are now escorting Gift of the Givers teams when delivering essential aid to affected people. The Mthatha area was the hardest-hit part of the province with 68 of the total death toll of 92. Two bodies were found on Wednesday night, including that of a teenage girl, Premier Oscar Mabuyane said in a statement. It was discovered along the Mthatha River. Mabuyane added: 'The provincial government continues to work tirelessly to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to 4 308 individuals who have been left homeless across the province, and processes are under way to ensure the provision of temporary residential units. Significant progress has also been made in the restoration of critical infrastructure,' he said. The premier said an intensive response and recovery effort was under way.
News24
3 days ago
- News24
‘Mafia' tells Gift of the Givers to stop providing free water to Mthatha flood victims
Gift of the Givers staff was threatened by the 'water mafia' while distributing free water to flood victims in Mthatha. Recent flooding claimed at least 90 lives in the region, displacing hundreds of residents. Gift of the Givers relief teams now require police escorts to safely deliver essential aid to affected communities. Gift of the Givers staff was intimidated on Saturday while providing essential aid to flood victims in Mthatha, the Eastern Cape. According to the OR Tambo District Municipality, the organisation's relief team was threatened by people who demanded that it stop supporting hundreds of displaced residents affected by recent flooding that left at least 90 people dead. In a statement on Tuesday, the municipality said the humanitarian organisation's staff received threats from 'unknown people'. 'This happened on Saturday when Gift of the Givers was distributing water to flood victims when the criminals directed them to stop what they were doing.' It condemned the incident. 'We wish to state without fear that extortion is a crime and a moral betrayal of the highest order, especially when directed at those extending a hand to the helpless. To prey on a crisis is to turn pain into profit. It is merciless, and it will not be tolerated,' the municipality said. Speaking to News24, Gift of the Givers' Ali Sablay confirmed the incident and said it was perpetrated by the 'water mafia'. 'While our teams were busy distributing water, they received a threat from one of the service providers to the [OR Tambo District] municipality. They [the service providers] were concerned that Gift of the Givers was giving water to the communities free of charge. 'We are very grateful to the OR Tambo District Municipality, South African Police Service, King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality's law enforcement and the community who said they would not allow this. They told our teams not to leave as they would deal with people behind the threats. Sablay added: It is very sad that during the disaster, greed takes over from people who are supposed to render services to the people. He said his teams were now being escorted by police when delivering essential aid to affected communities. They did not open a police case. The municipality said the incident did not accurately reflect the people of Mthatha and was grateful for Gift of the Givers' assistance. 'This is not who we are. We are people who rebuild, share, and rise for one another. Let us not let the shadows of crime cloud the light of compassion.'
News24
13-06-2025
- Climate
- News24
‘I've never seen anything like this': Eastern Cape survivor recounts flood nightmare
Carpenter Bathandwa Malipale survived a seven-hour ordeal during deadly floods in Slovo Park, the Eastern Cape. The death toll from the floods has risen to 75, with many still missing. Malipale described seeing cars submerged, people clinging to trees for safety, and his treacherous three-hour trek through flooded roads to reach his sister. For seven hours on Tuesday night, Bathandwa Malipale stayed wide awake, fearing that closing his eyes might mean never waking up, as violent storms tore through Slovo Park village in Mthatha, the Eastern Cape. The 40-year-old carpenter, who said he prayed for his survival, narrowly escaped a flooded home on the property where he was installing cupboards a few metres away. 'I have never seen anything like this before in my 40 years of living,' Malipale told News24. The death toll from the floods that battered the Eastern Cape increased to 75, according to Gift of the Givers, which retrieved eight bodies, adding to the 67 announced by the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa in a media briefing on Thursday afternoon. Addressing the media in Mthatha on Thursday, Hlabisa - flanked by his provincial counterpart, Zolile Williams, and Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube - said the situation was a 'logistical nightmare' due to the large number of deaths, which was expected to increase as several people were still unaccounted for. What started as an ordinary workday for Malipale on Tuesday quickly turned into a living nightmare. He recounted how, while installing cupboards in an apartment, he watched as the sky turn an ominous shade of grey and rain began to fall. 'I planned to go home, but the sky changed quickly. I could see that it was going to rain, so I decided it was safer to stay over.' But by around 19:00, Malipale said strong winds started lifting the zinc sheeting off the roof of the building he sought refuge in. 'I realised that I could not sleep in these conditions. I could see that things were not going to get [any] better.' He said: Hours went by, and I decided to check what was happening outside because people were screaming. I opened the door and saw water gushing down from the gate, and it came inside the house. Terrified and desperate, Malipale sought shelter in another building on the property. The second building was a few metres from the one he had been in. 'I ran out of the house and tried to get to the other houses in the yard, which were on a higher level than the one I had planned to sleep in,' he said. 'That is where I ended up all night because I didn't want to find myself sleeping when this water entered the house. I could hear people screaming from outside. 'I also couldn't leave the house because I was also scared for my life. The water was flooding the yard.' Soon, the area was plunged into darkness, and cellphone reception was lost. He was stranded and unable to call for help. 'I decided to stay in the other house and wait until things calmed down outside so that I could go out and go get help,' Malipale said. When the rain finally subsided at around 05:00 the following day, he plucked up the courage to go outside. He saw total destruction. 'The bed of the house where I initially planned to sleep was floating, blankets were wet, and utensils were also floating in the water.' READ | 49 die in Mthatha deluge as authorities mull court action over flood-line homes His cellphone battery had died, and, without a way to alert his family, he walked to his sister's workplace in town. What would have been a 30-minute trip turned into a three-hour trek through flooded roads. By this time, Malipale said, his clothes were soaked. 'As I walked, I saw some cars covered by water, and these were at the houses close to the riverbanks. As I got closer, I saw people standing on their roofs, some holding [on to] trees, asking for help. 'I was also not brave enough to help. I was scared I'd get swept away by the water.' He described the anguish of being unable to help, saying: This situation has left me traumatised. A man who was screaming for help as he was hanging onto the tree... I saw him being swept away with the tree he was holding on to. Malipale said he was struggling to come to terms with his ordeal. 'I haven't been able to return to work because I'm scared of what might happen when I'm there. But I still need to go finish the work,' he added.
The Herald
11-06-2025
- Climate
- The Herald
Flooding crisis in Eastern Cape prompts emergency response
Rescue operations are under way in Mthatha and surrounding areas as severe flooding continues to affect communities across the Eastern Cape. Emergency teams have been deployed from Gqeberha, East London and the Chris Hani District to support local responders already working in the area. In the Slovo neighbourhood of Mthatha, residents were trapped on rooftops and in floodwaters from the early hours of the morning. While many have been rescued, helicopter crews are continuing efforts to reach those still stranded in trees. The Eastern Cape department of health is co-ordinating closely with provincial disaster management teams and the defence force to provide additional resources. According to a spokesperson for the department, the scale of the response reflects the urgency of the situation, which has led to one confirmed fatality in Slovopark in Mthatha. Among the rescue efforts was an incident involving a school principal from Mqanduli, who was saved by local residents after his car was swept into a river. Emergency services began receiving calls as early as 4am and operations are continuing with the support of the police, municipal disaster teams, and the provincial disaster management centre. The flooding follows a Level 6 weather warning issued as parts of the province experienced strong winds, heavy rainfall, and snowfall over the past 24 hours. Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers has activated its disaster response unit in response to what it described as 'havoc across the Eastern Cape'. The Amathole district disaster management team, the Mnquma local municipality and local community leaders have requested urgent assistance as flooding affects entire communities. In Butterworth and surrounding areas, localised flooding has caused extensive damage, with community halls opened to accommodate displaced families. Daily Dispatch
