Gift of the Givers have turned its focus on procuring medicines to support the clinics, private practices and hospitals following the shutdown and destruction caused by riots and looters in the last week.
Gift of the Givers’ Imtiaaz Sooliman told IOL that their tally found that 70 pharmacies, two huge pharmaceutical wholesalers and a pharmaceutical manufacturing company were burnt by looters and rioters.
He said at a time when South Africa was in its third Covid wave, it was imperative to secure and distribute the medicines.
Sooliman said Gift of the Givers were finalising a list from medical facilities on what medicines were needed so they could source it from other parts of Africa.
Sooliman said his staff and volunteers have hit the ground running in packing food parcels for medical personnel who worked in clinics, hospitals both private and public.
Gift of the Givers has turned its focus on procuring medicines to support the clinics, private practices and hospitals following the shutdown and destruction caused by riots and looters in the last week. Video: Kailene Pillay/ IOL Political Bureau
He said they provided at least a month's supply of food and groceries to each personnel so they could concentrate on saving lives instead of standing in long queues to acquire groceries.
He also raised concerns that the current situation in KwaZulu-Natal has led to ’’heated emotions and explosive statements that don't augur well for our country’’.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sooliman ’’humbly requested that we stop the racial war both on social media and on the ground’’.
"Can we as citizens of this country fix the tension between ourselves through responsible action. It would be in the best interest of all of us," he said.
IOL