By Rhulani Zitha

The Mopani Farmers Association, together with the Trust for Community Outreach and Education, has supported flood victims in Mbaula village by distributing food parcels.

In January, flash floods claimed lives as houses, roads, bridges and sanitation blocks were washed away across several villages in Vhembe and Mopani. Mbaula village was the hardest hit, with several houses damaged and others completely collapsed. Helicopters were dispatched to airlift flood victims.

Approximately 200 houses were destroyed, and residents were evacuated to a church. Children were taken to the Ntwanano Drop In Centre, a community support facility in Mbaula Village that provides care, meals, and educational resources for underprivileged and orphaned children in the area.

Ntwanano Drop In Centre is home to about 186 children who need three meals a day. The Mopani Farmers Association donated non-perishable items such as rice, sugar beans, tinned fish, and soup.

The association undertook to donate food to the centre for four months.

According to the Limpopo Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements & Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), only 22 of the 200 households have received shelter.
“It’s hard to deal with a situation of this calibre. When people lose their homes, they expect to be given another one soon after,” said David Ngobeni from the department. The delays in providing shelter have angered the community.

At Ntwanano Drop In Centre, Chairperson Mercy Mashele thanked the Mopani Farmers Association for its donations.