On Friday, 17 April, Mayor Dan Plato, accepted a donation of non-perishable food to the value of R450 000 from the Bangladeshi Community of Cape Town. The Mayor expressed his gratitude to the Bangladeshi community, who came together to provide the donation.
‘I think this is a wonderful display of the warm community spirit that we have here in Cape Town. The Bangladeshi community have opened their hearts at a time of great need. This coronavirus is something that we all need to fight against, and I am very grateful for everyone who has come forward with donations for those in need during this difficult time,’ said Mayor Plato.
Montasim Rahman, senior representative of the Bangladeshi community said: ‘We are not alone in this, we have to face this situation together. We appreciate these residents and it was the right thing to do to give back to the community. This donation was the result of our community coming together to help yours, because we are all in this together.’
A local community leader Anton Peacock was approached by the Bangladeshi community, who wanted to donate. Peacock then contacted the Mayor’s office so that residents could benefit from the much-needed food items.
The donated goods include items such as flour, maize, sugar, baked beans, rice, cooking oil, porridge, and soap, among other items.
The goods will be made into 1000 hampers. The Mayor, along with local ward councillors, will hand over the donations to members of the different communities, NGOs and soup kitchens across the Cape Metro who are best placed to provide a warm meal to vulnerable communities in need.
The Mayor has said that all donations during this time of uncertainty are greatly appreciated and has called on anyone who would like to donate to email disaster.donations@capetown.gov.za