The Motsepe Foundation has made a pledge of R1 billion to South Africa to help in overcoming Covid-19. In a statement attributed to the founder and chairman of the Motsepe Foundation, Dr. Patrice Motsepe, he said, ‘[S]everal hundred million rands will immediately be made available with the primary objective of saving lives and slowing and restraining the spread of [Covid-19]. We are purchasing sanitisers, disinfectants, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and are in discussions with government, health workers and other stakeholders to assist with acquiring other equipment and making resources available which are essential for dealing with the [Covid-19] pandemic. We’ve been advised that access to water for regularly washing hands is crucial for slowing and limiting the spread of [Covid-19]’.

The statement continued, ‘[W]e are therefore providing water to poor rural and urban communities by purchasing water tanks (jojos), drilling and equipping for borehole water and also building sanitary facilities. The current lockdown has an impact on the goods, equipment, and services that can be purchased immediately and the goods and services which can be provided when the lockdown has been terminated. Our short to medium term interventions include building additional classrooms, computer centres, and laboratories in all the [nine] provinces of South Africa to assist with the excessively high number of students per classroom in some schools, particularly in the context of the current [Covid-19] pandemic and the social distancing requirements’.

Source: The Citizen

Photo source: World Economic Forum