Skelms ruin Eid charity
A MESS: Food pakkies for the poor ruined by water as skurke break the pipes. Photo: Supplied A MESS: Food pakkies for the poor ruined by water as skurke break the pipes. Photo: Supplied
A charity organisation that has been preparing to hand out food parcels has been burgled and their offices left
flooded.
Staff and volunteers of the Mustadafin Foundation walked into their office on Saturday to find it under water.
Situated in the old Gatti’s factory off Turfhall Road in Lansdowne for the past two years, the organisation has suffered a crippling blow with the bulk of their fitrah parcels set to go out yesterday damaged.
These contained blankets, flour, sugar and maize which were collected for their winter drive and were to be handed out before Eid this week.
Staff and volunteers, who rushed in to try and save as much as they could, were in tears.
The hundreds of parcels that had been packed over a number of days lay under water.
The spokesperson for the organisation, Gairunisa Johnstone, says the beneficiaries will be hit hardest.
“I received a call to say a pipe had burst in the ceiling and the office was flooded. I did not think anything of it until we got there and realised thieves had broken in through the roof and broke a pipe off.
“The water was knee-deep. We scooped the water into buckets and then bins,” an emotional Gairunisa says.
She says they struggled to salvage the operation.
MOP-UP: Helpers and staff cleared away the water. Photo: Supplied
“We used the ruined flour, sugar, maize, rice and yeast to soak up the excess of the water. There was not a dry eye in the entire office as we realised what these heartless thieves have done.
“They are not stealing from us, they are stealing from the community. These items may have been the only thing the people have for the entire week. I want to just cry when I think of it.”
Gairunisa says they went to Philippi Police Station to open a case and officers had already been to investigate.
She says while the water pipes were fixed on Sunday, the effect on the underprivileged will be greater.
“I cannot believe the amount of things that have gone to waste. It is very sad indeed.”
Anyone who would like to assist the organisation with donations for upcoming drives, can contact Mustadafin offices on 021 633 0010.
The police did not respond to enquiries.