MAKONDE - With freezing winter weather chilling down their spines, poor villagers were relieved when they were presented with 60 warm blankets and 70 (12,5kg) bags of maize meal by well-known local community builder Amie Chhaya last Wednesday.

The 50 villagers, most of whom are disabled members of the Makonde Greenery Project, were the beneficiaries of the donation which took place at Makonde Clinic, north of Thohoyandou. Beneficiaries were selected by community structures, based on their poor family backgrounds. Members of the Greenery Project were included because most of them come from poor families and they grouped themselves to establish a vegetable garden to sell their products to the public.

Affectionately called the Minister of Blankets in Limpopo, Chhaya said he decided to make a donation after realising that most of the poor and disabled people in rural villages were unable to afford blankets and food. He said it is very painful to see the poor starving and freezing in winter due to their poor financial backgrounds.

“The government alone cannot easily eliminate poverty in our communities. It is our collective duty to fight and win this war against poverty and starvation in the rural areas. Most of the families are composed of unemployed people and they need to get assistance from the community. They did not choose to be poor and they need to be uplifted by those who can do something for them.”

He appealed to other community members to assist the poor in the development of society. He said there are still thousands of blankets and maize meal bags that will be distributed to the poor this month.

“This donation is based on love and brotherhood. The poor need to be comforted so that they can face life with courage. I urge other community members to join hands to create a better life for all the citizens of South Africa.”

One of the beneficiaries of the donations, Mukhethwa Ntshavheni (19) said the donations came at the right time because she did not even know where she was going to get her next meal. “I did not have warm blankets and I am very happy because my life will never be the same again. We initially thought that the people in the rural areas are neglected, but we are very thankful because we know that there are people who care out there. We appeal to other people to follow suit on what Mr Chhaya has done for the improvement of the lives of the poor.”

The sponsors of the blankets and maize meal are M Premjee and Sons, Check U Supermarket, Merkel Motors (Tzaneen), AA Furnishers, Willowton Oil Mills (Pietermaritzburg), Gift of Givers Charity and KK Radia and Company.