The Gift of the Givers were given a helping hand themselves on Tuesday 12 March, when Isuzu Motors South Africa donated two water trucks to the organisation for their use in managing the water shortage in Makhanda (Grahamstown).
The two trucks will be supplied by the newly-sunk boreholes that the Gift of the Givers have been drilling over the past two weeks, and will distribute water to a number of different water tanks stationed at various different locations around the town. The locations of these tanks will be finalised soon. Once the tanks are in place, members of the community will be able to use the tanks for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Grocott’s Mail will publish the locations of these water tanks once they have been finalised.
Ali Sablay, the Western Cape Project Manager for the Gift of the Givers, was extremely grateful for the donation from Isuzu. “This will be amazing, in the way that from our boreholes we will be able to pump the water into these tankers, and we will have set up JoJo tanks in different parts of Makhanda, so these tankers will pump the water into these tanks,” said Sablay.
“Our mission states that we are cognisant on the impact that we have on the community and on the environment,” said Vuyiseka Nyembezi, the Internal Communications Specialist at Isuzu Motors South Africa. “So putting that into practice, and hearing about the drought in Grahamstown, we thought ‘let us come through and assist’.”
“We heard about the Gift of the Givers, got in contact with them, and found out what it is that they are doing and how can we help out where we can in the region that we operate, so this was one great opportunity to do that,” said Nyembezi.
The tanks were donated to the Gift of the Givers as a way to continue their work not only in Makhanda, but in the rest of the province and event the country. When the Givers eventually leave Makhanda, after they have done all that they can, the tankers will remain in the town for up to six months, according to Sablay, after which the situation will be reassessed, and the tankers will be moved to another area that needs their service.
In addition to the tankers, Sablay was excited to announce the progress that the Givers have made on their plan to help stabilise Makhanda during the drought. “We are very excited that out of the 20 [planned]boreholes, 11 have been drilled so far. The drilling process is going very very well,” said Sablay. “We are still waiting on the government to let us know about the funding because we cannot carry out this project alone.”
The Gift of the Givers also travelled to Bolotwa in the Eastern Cape on Wednesday 13 March to provide 265 farmers with animal feed.
Stephen Kisbey-Green Photography 