NC premier, Zamani Saul asks residents to report these people so that they can be placed in shelters.
Northern Cape residents have been asked to report homeless people and street children to the police so that they can be placed in a shelter.
Premier Zamani Saul, who oversaw the official roll-out of the food relief programme in Platfontein on Monday, said that homeless persons and street children were reluctant to be housed at shelters, adding that this posed an immediate threat to the safety of the province’s citizens.
“A plea is extended to all citizens to report homeless persons and street children to the police for admission to a shelter.”
The Department of Social Development has meanwhile also started with the distribution of food parcels to 47 700 beneficiaries across the Province.
“An amount of R38 million has been made available for the procurement of food parcels to be distributed to qualifying beneficiaries,” Saul said.
He added that procurement at a provincial level had resulted in 134 service providers being contracted to deliver food parcels. “The procurement has also been decentralized with 150 service providers appointed in the first week to deliver 1000 food parcels per week in each district.”
“The shelters in all five districts are operational and are providing shelter, food and hygiene products to the service users.”
Monday’s launch of the food relief programme at Platfontein was also aimed at raising awareness among the community on the regulations of the lockdown.
Saul was accompanied by the MEC for Social Development, Barbara Bartlett, and as part of the programme was also due to meet with the 12 leaders representing the Xhu! and Kwe communities. Following this, food parcels were delivered directly to the homes of the beneficiaries.
The food relief programme will be rolled out to all five Districts in the Province.
