Gift of the Givers (GoG) says it has assisted in the feeding of 4,000 students of the University of Cape Town (UCT) following the devastation caused by wildfires.
The disaster response non-governmental organisation (NGO) said it provided the feeding support after receiving a request from the university.
Project Manager of the NGO, Ali Sablay, said that the organisation provided the support at the Old Mutual West Campus in Pinelands.
The wildfires on Table Mountain spread to UCT, burning the historic campus library and forcing the evacuation of 4,000 students.
The fire incident also affected the Rhodes Memorial and a restaurant on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, according to the Fire and Rescue spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse.
‘A section of the tea room at Rhodes Memorial has been destroyed and people are urged not to enter the area’, Carelse had said.
Students have since been moved to pre-determined locations.
The NGO said it will continue to feed students three meals daily for the next seven days and will work with the UCT Council to assess the situation thereafter.
It is understood that the NGO is coordinating donations from the likes of Shoprite, The Foschini Group, Nestlé, Engen and vida e caffè.
Sablay said that as soon as the news broke that the NGO would be feeding students, their office was surrounded by cars and volunteers.
‘The spirit of ubuntu is overflowing’, the university news website quoted Sablay as saying.
UCT Registrar, Royston Pillay, has said that the university was looking at various options to protect its campus and prevent any future wildfires.
‘We are currently working on a safe plan to bring our students back to campus. It is being discussed as a matter of urgency’, News24 quoted Pillay as saying.
Local authorities had said they were investigating the causes of the fires amid concern that arsonists may have been responsible for at least one.
Source: UCT News
Photo source: Lerato Mhlanga/UCT News