Hunger at an empty kitchen
STORY: Ronelle Ramsamy
Hundreds queue at a soup kitchen that once served to ease their hunger pains. But the building stands empty. The sad reality is that there is just no food to feed this hungry community. Empty promises have come and gone. In the rural heart of Mzingazi near Richards Bay, the attempt by a community leader to access food for a hungry community is a daily struggle. ‘I know families who wake up each morning and have to look in bins for food or beg neighbours for some mealie meal,’ says Mzingazi CPF Chairperson, Sharon Mdletshe. This sad situation indirectly contributes to crime in the suburb. ‘As a Community Policing Forum Chairperson, it is my duty to identify the various categories of crime, what is causing it and how we can control it. ‘If only employed people knew how lucky they were just to be able to buy groceries at the end of the month for their family. ‘Now my biggest problem is trying to get food for my hungry community,’ said Mdletshe. The once successful community soup kitchen launched last year is no more as funds and groceries have literally dried up. In a desperate attempt to revive it, Mdletshe is again appealing to the public and companies to come forward with any help. ‘This soup kitchen brought hope to the hungry. ‘People come to me daily for food and I cannot help them anymore.’ For more information, contact Mdletshe on 083 8723384.
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